


Vampire Diaries and The Originals One Shots and Imagines

by invisame



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2019-10-24 21:31:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 48,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17711942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisame/pseuds/invisame
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring the characters from Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Most are reader insert. Some are x OC. Very, very rarely there may be ships.





	1. The Hybrid - Klaus Mikaelson

**Author's Note:**

> This story was posted individually before I decided to make these a collection for my own sanity. 
> 
> Pairing: Klaus x Reader

Your hands trembled as you flipped through the contacts on your phone, blood smearing the screen. You glanced around again, trying to figure out precisely where you were and thankful it was dark so it was easier to ignore the body at your feet. 

The smart thing would be to call the sheriff. It was self defense after all. But it wasn't a man at your feet, it was a hybrid. The council didn't need any more ammunition against the supernaturals than they already had. 

Damon or Stefan would come to your rescue, but it would just cause more trouble with them and the Mikaelsons. 

Rebekah would complain and make you pay her back later. 

Elijah was out of town. 

Kol was...well Kol.

No, there was only one person you could call right now, and truthfully he was the only one you wanted to see at the moment. You pressed his picture and leaned against the trunk of a tree as you waited for him to answer. 

"Y/N! To what do I owe the pleasure, love?" Niklaus answered, sounding happy to hear from you. He always flirted with you, not that it meant anything to him. Not as much as it meant to you anyway. 

Just hearing his voice brought you enough out of your shock that you started to cry. Your breathing was uneven and you sucked in mouthfuls of air trying to get the words out. 

"Y/N?" His voice had taken on a panicked edge. "What's wrong, love? Where are you? Are you hurt? Talk to me."

"I k-killed him," you managed to stutter out. You used your free hand to clutch your flannel tighter around the front of you. 

"Killed who, y/n?" his voice was soft, patient. 

"I was on the way to your house. I needed to tell you...I still need to tell you but... I need you, Nik."

"Where are you, sweetheart?"

You closed your eyes and a flood of tears ran down your cheeks. "I don't know. My car. You'll see my car, I'm somewhere near there in the trees."

"Okay, listen to me, y/n. We're coming to find you right--"

"We?" you shouted, cutting him off. "Who's with you? Don't trust the hybrids, Nik. You can't trust them." You were aware that you sounded delirious and he probably thought you were insane but you couldn't risk him getting hurt because you hadn't been able to deliver the message. 

There was a stretch of silence during which you heard a car start. "All right, love. No hybrids. I'm okay. We're okay."

You heard the engine of a car and jerked your head in the direction of the sound. "I think I hear you," you said. Your eyes moved back and forth trying to see anything in the dark which was impossible. The car stopped and you heard more than one door slam. You were so focused in that direction, you didn't hear the movement behind you. 

A hand grasped your shoulder and someone said your name. You jumped, your heart stuttering in your chest as you screamed. You moved away, falling to the ground in your haste. You pushed away from the dark figure that just kept saying your name. Arms wrapped around you from behind and you screamed again, struggled to get away.

"Y/N. Y/N, it's me, love. It's me. I've got you. Calm down," Nik's lips brushed against your ear as he spoke and you quit fighting. 

You panted, trying to catch your breath. The moment he loosened his hold a little, you turned and threw your arms around his neck, burying your head against his chest.

His hands ran up and down your back in a comforting gesture as he held you against him. "I'm going to have Rebekah take you home while Kol and I take care of this."

You gripped onto him more tightly. "Please, Nik. I don't want to leave you."

He pressed a kiss against your temple before laying his head next to yours. "Okay, love."

"Brother, this is one of your pets," Kol said from a short distance away. He must have been the figure in the dark.

Niklaus stilled. "A hybrid?"

You nodded still not letting go of him. 

"Is that why you called me, love, because it was one of my hybrids?" He spoke carefully as if the answer was important to him though you couldn't imagine why.

You shifted so you weren't pressed so tightly against him and your head was laying on his chest, tucked in against his neck. "No. I knew you'd fix it and take care of me. I needed you."

"Take her home, Nik. Kol and I will take care of this," you heard Rebekah's soft voice say. 

He apparently didn't need to be told twice because he swept you up in his arms and ran through the woods to his house. Before you could blink, you were up the stairs and in his room. You'd seen it a couple of times before when you'd shared a drink with him in the privacy of his space. But you'd never been in the decadent bed he now sat you on top of. 

He zipped around, snapping on lights. He disappeared into the bathroom then came back with a wet rag and knelt in front of you. Your eyes followed him, studied his movements as he leaned forward and ran the rag over your face. You winced as he found the wound on your head. 

His jaw was tight and you knew he was biting back his anger so he wouldn't scare you. "Want to tell me what happened, love?" 

"Tyler is mad about you and Caroline. Him and that wolf he brought back with him have helped all your hybrids break their sire bond."

He looked up in surprise. "How do you know this?"

"Tyler called this afternoon and wanted to meet. When I got there, he told me what was going on. They wanted me to lure you out somewhere so they could ambush you. I said no. Most of them just wanted to force me to help, but Tyler went Alpha on them and let me go. They told me if I warned you they'd kill me." 

You'd started to tremble again and he made shushing noises as he took your hand in his and began to wipe the blood away. Your other hand still clutched tightly at your flannel. 

"I came straight here but one of them must have ran to get ahead of me. He jumped in front of the car. I swerved to miss him and wrecked."

Your eyes followed his movements as he continued to clean you up. He was being so gentle. So caring. He kept his eyes focused on his task instead of looking at you directly. It made it easier to tell him your story. 

"I was dazed. He yanked me from the car and dragged me off into the trees. He, um...he was going to..." You sniffed and found yourself unable to finish the sentence. "Anyway, I fought back, the way you've all taught me. Then I killed him and called you."

He hummed but still didn't look at you. "Can I see your other hand, y/n?"

You unwrapped it from the flannel and gave it to him but not before you'd moved your other hand to hold the shirt closed. This did not go unnoticed. He cleaned away the blood then looked up to meet your eyes as he moved both hands out to the side. He pushed the flannel back and off your shoulders. 

He hissed and his eyes grew dark as his jaw thrust forward. The shirt you'd worn under the flannel was in shreds. Shallow claw marks marred your skin and hand shaped bruises lined both arms. His hands hovered over you as if he were afraid to touch you. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before locking his eyes with you once more. 

"Have I missed anything? Is there anything besides the cut on your head and the scratches and bruises? I need to know exactly what he did to you, love."

You tilted your head back to show your neck where he'd grabbed you. Klaus ran his fingers lightly over the top of the bruises there. "My thighs are probably bruised as well."

Lightly he grasped your chin and brought your face back down to meet your eyes. He swallowed. "Did he..."

You shook your head. "No. I stopped him before he could do anything else."

He breathed out a sigh of relief and hooked a hand around the back of your neck. He pulled you forward to meet him as he leaned his forehead against yours, careful to avoid your wound. "I would like to give you some blood, love. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"All right, Klaus."

He pulled away, his eyes searching your face. He gave you one of his smirks that caused his dimple to flash. "I liked it better when you called me Nik, y/n."

You smiled. "Okay, Nik."

He was suddenly on his feet. He disappeared for a moment then came back to toss you one of his t-shirts. You gratefully removed the shreds of your clothing. You wanted to remove your bra as well and glanced up at him. "Um...could you?"

He got the hint and turned his back with a chuckle. Your bra joined the rest of the bloody clothes on the floor and you pulled on the t-shirt. It smelled like him and brought instant calm with it. "Okay," you said and he turned around with a smile. 

You watched him as he moved around the bed. He stripped off his shirt before climbing up on the other side and you looked at him with wide eyes. "It had your blood on it, sweetheart. As much as I love the smell, and the taste when you aren't on vervain, I don't particularly relish wearing it." He flipped down the blankets as he leaned against the headboard and opened his arms for you.

Your cheeks heated and you crawled up until you were curled around his side, your head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around you then bit into his other wrist and held it up to your mouth. You pressed your mouth to the wound and took three long drinks before pulling away. Almost immediately you could feel your wounds healing. You hadn't realized how much you were hurting until the little aches and pains from your fight started to disappear. 

"Thank you, Nik." You nestled in, getting more comfortable and laid your left hand on his chest. Your right arm was wrapped around your belly with your hand laying on your side. Nik shifted the arm around you until he could lace his fingers with yours. His other hand laid on top of the one on his chest.

"You're welcome, love. Now, I think there are some things about tonight that we need to clarify," he said. His fingers moved constantly while he spoke, rubbing against your skin. "First, you did not kill the hybrid. A stake to the heart incapacitates them for a time but you have to take the head or remove the heart to kill them."

You stiffened as a shaft of fear went through you with his words. Would he come after you again? Obviously sensing your fear, Nik kissed your head and pulled you more tightly against him. "You have nothing to fear. Kol and Rebekah will have deposited him in a cell in the basement by now. I will take care of him later."

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and forced yourself to relax. That's why you'd called Nik, after all. You knew he would keep you safe.

"Second, there is no Caroline and I."

You chuckled. "I know that, Nik. She doesn't want anything to do with you."

"You misunderstand, love. Caroline served a purpose, but it wasn't she that captured my attention."

You frowned. "But you bought her a dress and--"

"I bought you a dress as well, if you remember."

You stilled as your mind raced. He couldn't possibly be saying he liked _you_ , could he?

"It is not Caroline who has a room in my home. It is not Caroline that spends time with me in my studio as I work. It is not Caroline that fills my every waking moment."

"Nik," you breathed, not quite knowing what else to say. 

"Caroline was a distraction from you. If people thought I cared for her, it would be her they went after, not you. But I couldn't keep myself away from you. If your discussion with Tyler was any indication, I have been more translucent in my feelings concerning you than I hoped. He paused for a moment, pulling you tightly against him again. "Say something, y/n."

You smiled, though he couldn't see it as your face was turned away from his. "I don't think there's a reason for you to keep a room here for me anymore, Nik."

"What? Now listen, love, if you don't feel the same for me that's fine but there's no reason--"

You turned and placed your fingers against his lips. You smile widened as confusion swamped his features. Leaning forward you stopped inches from his lips and kept your gaze locked on his eyes. "I simply meant, why waste a perfectly good guest room when there's plenty of room in your bed."

He smiled wide and you moved your fingers. "Oh," he said before capturing your lips with his. It was the first of many happy nights spent wrapped in the hybrid's arms.


	2. Apocalyptic - Damon Salvatore x OFC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: SMUT 18 plus only please
> 
> From the song Apocalyptic by Halestorm

_I wear my nine-inch heels when we go to bed_

_I paint the color of my lips blood red_

_I get so animal like never before  
So you press play and I hit record _

 

"You think you can flirt all night and just come home like nothing happened," my boyfriend Damon yelled as he tossed a glass in my direction. It hit the wall beside me and shattered. Used to his temper, I didn't even flinch. I stepped further into the room and kicked my heels off next to the bar, losing several inches of height in the process. I poured both of us another drink.

I sashayed my hips as I walked over to hand him his glass. My eyes sparked in fury and I arched a brow. "You've got a lot of nerve, Salvatore. Last I checked you were still at little Miss Elena's beck and call so you can kiss my ass." I'd only started to flirt with the men at the bar because he was ignoring me in favor of the doppelganger. Even though he assured me any feelings he had for the girl were long gone, I still couldn't stand her.

His mouth drew into a thin line. "That's not fair and you know it."

I shrugged and downed my drink before slamming the glass down on the table. "Since when is the truth not fair. I might have flirted a time or two but I'd never actually fuck them. Could you say the same? If Elena called you right now and offered you a no strings attached night, what would you do?" I was practically yelling by the end and I cringed when my voice broke. I hated letting him know how he got to me.

Turning, I started to move away from him and he grabbed my wrist and jerked me back to him. 

_'Cause we're dysfunctional physical_   
_Always slamming doors_   
_You're a bitch, throwing fits_   
_Always waging wars_   
_Me and you_   
_Sad but true_   
_We're not us anymore_   
_But there's still one thing we're good for_

He twisted me around to face him using the grip on my arm. Pain radiated from my wrist and I loved it. As he tugged me tightly against his chest, his blue eyes narrowed and his gaze darted between my eyes and my lips. "Don't be a bitch, Mackenzie." My breathing grew erratic and my panties grew damp.

Damon and I had our issues but sex wasn't one of them. We never had an argument that lasted more than ten minutes before it progressed to angry sex. Thank God I was a vampire, so we could be as rough as we wanted. I shoved back against him until he slammed into the wall. Desire flashed in his eyes. "Don't be a dick, Damon," I growled.

_I'll give you one last night_   
_So make it twisted_   
_Give you one last shot, go on and hit it_   
_Give you one last time to make me miss it_   
_Baby, love me apocalyptic, come on!_

He spun us until I was the one pressed against the wall. His fingers dug into my thighs with bruising force and I hopped up to wrap my legs around his waist. My short skirt slid up and out of the way. "Naughty girl. I can feel how wet you are for me even through my jeans. You think you can just tease and torture me all night and I'm going to crumble because you're dripping?" His voice was rough and feral and his lips brushed against mine the entire time he spoke.

I tangled a hand into the hair at the nape of his neck and jerked, making him hiss. "That's exactly what I think, Salvatore." I rocked against him. "Come on. Show me what you've got. You want to hurt me? Make me pay? Do it." I dropped my legs to the ground and shoved him away from me. He stumbled backward and I smirked.

Damon grabbed the waist of my skirt as I moved past him. With one fast tug, the garment lay torn on the floor. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "I liked that skirt." He just shrugged and smirked at me with his arms out to either side. I sauntered toward him with narrowed eyes. When I reached him, he looped his arms around my waist and I ran my hands across his chest. I grasped the fabric of his shirt in both hands and ripped it off. "Now, we're even."

He looked down for a moment then started to unbutton his jeans while I stripped out of my shirt. We tossed the clothes to the side. He pulled me to him again and used one hand to tear the side of my underwear. I stepped away and made quick work of ridding myself of my bra. I didn't have an infinite supply of money to spend on undergarments.

_Give me a red hand print right across my ass_   
_I'm leaving scratches up and down your back_   
_Throw me against the wall, bite me on my neck_   
_Like end of the world, break-up sex_

Damon pulled me into his arms again. I jumped and wrapped my legs around him. One hand came down with a smack on my ass, the sting rocking that pleasure/pain line. His cock was resting against me and, as I rocked against him, more moisture slicked my passage. "Damon," I pleaded and arched my back to press against him.

He lined up with my entrance and hovered there for a moment before slamming his full length into me in one quick, brutal thrust. I gasped in surprise and dug my nails into his back, smelling blood as I did so. I dragged my hands down the length of his back causing him to twitch against me. "Please, Damon." My voice was little more than a whimper but I felt no shame. He was the only one that could make me feel this way.

Vampire speed got us back to the wall in record time and my back slammed against it. Damon began to thrust into me, setting up a steady, mind-numbing rhythm. He looked at me, his face vamped out. I tilted my head to the side even as my own face morphed in response.

Teeth drove into my skin with a sharp stabbing of pain. It quickly slid into pleasure as Damon started to suck. I bit into his neck and mirrored the action. He groaned and after a moment we pulled back to study each other. His face faded back to normal but my blood colored his lips and ran down his chin. I darted out my tongue and licked it away before plunging my tongue into his mouth. 

_'Cause we're dysfunctional physical_   
_Always slamming doors_   
_You're a bitch, throwing fits_   
_Always waging wars_   
_Me and you_   
_Sad but true_   
_We're not us anymore_   
_But there's still one thing we're good for_

Damon's motions became harsher, more frantic. My back drove into the wall with every thrust. He licked up the side of my neck before sinking his teeth in again. My head pressed against the wall behind me as I arched my back as much as I was able in his firm grip. Every suck, every pull from my vein went straight to my core.

"Damon!" I screamed as my orgasm rolled through me, making me buck against him.

He pulled back and wrapped both arms around my back to pull me tightly against his chest. Two more thrusts had him yelling "Fuck," as he filled me with his cum. We pressed our foreheads together as we both panted.

"Christ," Damon said after a moment, a laugh in his voice.

I started to drop my legs and he used one hand to put them back in place. He placed a kiss on my lips then sped us up to his room. He slammed the door behind us and lowered us to the bed. "I'm not done punishing you yet, Mac."

A tremor of excitement went through me. I could hardly wait. 


	3. Reunited - Kol Mikaelson

The buzzer for your apartment sounded and you walked over and pressed the button on the wall. "Yes?"

"I have a delivery for (y/n)(y/l/n)," came the reply.

You frowned as you tried to remember if you'd ordered anything recently. "I'll be right down."

The delivery man handed you a large box and an envelope with your name on it. "Thank you." You hurried back up the stairs and sat the box on the counter. You opened the envelope to find an invitation to the Mikaelsons' ball. When you flipped it over there was a note on the back. _It's been ages since I've seen you, love. Please come. xoxo Kol_.

You smiled and tapped the invitation against your bottom lip. Kol and you had an on again off again relationship that stretched centuries. The off periods being primarily when his brother had him daggered. Klaus hadn't told you that he'd woken Kol again, but he'd evidently told Kol you were in town. 

Setting the invitation aside, you took the lid off the box. A sea of red filled your vision. Pulling the fabric carefully from the box, you found the most beautiful crimson dress you had ever laid eyes on. The top was beaded and strapless and the skirt flared out at the waist and went all the way to the floor. A pair of silver shoes with red soles laid in the bottom of the box, along with a velvet case. 

You laid the dress carefully over the back of the sofa and pulled out the case. After snapping it open, you gasped as your eyes fell on the diamond and ruby necklace nestled inside. Kol certainly knew the way to your heart.

***

You were late, arriving just as Elijah was calling for everyone's attention. You slid into the crowd, doing your best to be unobtrusive. As the Mikaelsons gathered on the stairway, your eyes ran over all of them until they landed on Kol. It only took him a moment before he found you, as well. He grinned and the moment his brother asked everyone to find a partner, he came to you. 

"(y/n)," he breathed. His eyes ran over you taking you in. He brushed a loose piece of hair behind your ear. "You look amazing."

You tilted your head. "Well, I have you to thank for that. As usual, you have impeccable taste."

"Dance with me." He took your hand in his and led you to the ballroom. You instantly found your rhythm, moving together as if you'd never been apart. 

"How long have you been awake?" you asked.

"Not long at all, darling. You are always my first priority."

"Do try not to piss your brother off this time. I rather like it when you're around."

He made a noise of agreement then spun you to your next partner which just happened to be Elijah. He gave you one of his rare, genuine smiles. "(y/n), you look lovely, as always."

"Thank you, Elijah."

"Perhaps now that you are here, my brother will talk about something else," he teased.

"Oh, I find that unlikely. I am me after all," you said.

Elijah laughed loud enough to draw attention. "Thank you for that. I needed to lighten up this evening."

You stopped as the music did and everyone applauded the musicians. You leaned closer to Elijah as you clapped. "You always need to lighten up, Elijah."

He chuckled again and patted your arm before he stepped away. Kol took his place, once again capturing  your hand in his. He made a show of looking you over as he led you back to the front hall. "You do look stunning, but there is something missing."

You looked at him in surprise and glanced down at yourself. Kol always thought you were perfect no matter what you  wore. You ran your hands down your dress in a mini-panic. "What is it, Kol? What did I forget?"

He cleared his throat and you glanced at him to find him kneeling in front of you with a diamond ring in his hand. You gasped, your hands flying up to cover your mouth as tears pooled in your eyes. 

"(y/n) (y/l/n). Every time I see you I am awestruck by your beauty, your compassion and your love for me. Never have I questioned your devotion to me or my family. You are the first thought in my mind when I wake and the last thought I have before I sleep. And you have managed to put up with me far longer than anyone thought possible. Marry me?" He gave you a sheepish grin as if thinking you might actually say no. 

You threw your arms around his neck. "Of course, I'll marry you, Kol Mikaelson." You kissed him soundly and when you pulled back, he slipped the ring on your finger. Getting to his feet, he pulled you into his arms. There was a smattering of applause from those that had witnessed the proposal and congratulations from people you didn't know. 

"I finally get to call you sister for real," a voice said and you turned to see Rebekah standing beside you. She pulled you into a hug. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

Klaus came up and kissed you on each cheek. "Always and Forever, sister."

"Always and forever," you echoed. You'd been a part of the family for ages, but it meant a lot to have it official. 

Kol pulled you back to his side and put his lips to your ear. "We are going to get married as soon as possible and then we are going on an extended honeymoon around the world. Just you and me. No family."

You hummed. "That kind of trip could take awhile."

"Years at least," he replied. 

When it was time for the toast, he handed you a glass.

His mother stood on the staircase above you. "It brings me great pleasure to have my family all together again," she said. "And to have another daughter added when (y/n) marries my Kol. Congratulations to both of you. Cheers." 

Everyone raised their glasses and sipped the champagne. The smile Esther directed at the two of you sent a chill down your spine.

"You all right, darling?" Kol said drawing your attention.

"Yeah," you said, tearing your gaze from Esther to smile at him. When you darted your eyes back up, she had turned away. "I'm sure everything's fine."

If you'd only known how wrong you were.


	4. Meeting Damon

You trudged along the side of the road cursing your bad luck. Your POS ancient VW bug had finally broke down. Honestly you were lucky it hadn't happened before now as you were pretty sure it had only been held together by dirt and rust the last few years. Still it would have been nice if it had made it the last ten miles to your destination. 

Mystic Falls, Virginia. A small town in the middle of nowhere. It's only redeeming quality is it held the little bit that was left of your family. Matt Donovan was your cousin. The two of you were close and when he called to tell you about Vicki dying and his mom's latest brand of shit, you packed your bags and loaded up the car. If the two of you were going to be lonely and miserable, you should be lonely and miserable together.

You pulled your phone out of your pocket hoping it had somehow magically recharged. No such luck. With a sigh you put it away. You hadn't even told Matt you were coming so it's not like he'd come looking when you didn't show up. What irritated you more than anything about the car breaking down is all your stuff was in it. You'd brought the most important stuff with you and put a spell on the old bug that should drive most things away.

Yes, you were a witch. Not that anyone knew. Not anyone still alive anyway. And you weren't about to tell Matty. He had enough going on in his life without adding the supernatural into the mix. 

Hearing a car approaching, you stepped further off the road so it wouldn't hit you. It slowed as it passed and pulled to a stop in front of you. Your eyes widened as you took in the classic blue Camaro convertible. The driver rolled his window down as you approached. "Can I give you a ride?" he asked. His crystal blue eyes twinkled as they took you in and his lips curled in a smirk. 

"This your car?" you asked still keeping your distance. 

"I'm driving it, aren't I?" 

"Doesn't make it yours," you replied. "You steal it?"

He frowned, his brow furrowing. "I'm not sure if I should laugh or be insulted."

"Y/N Donovan," you said holding out your hand. 

He took it in his but continued to frown. "Damon Salvatore. Donovan? As in Matt?"

You suppressed a shudder as you took a reading from the man-make that vampire-before you. "He's my cousin."

He made a show of looking you over again. "Never would have guessed you were related to the quarterback. You two look nothing alike."

"He takes after his dad. I take after my mom. So, you still offering that ride?"

"That depends. Are you going to actually get in the car?" he asks with a raised brow and another smirk. 

"That depends. Are you going to drive me to my cousin or are you going to try to eat me?"


	5. Meeting Stefan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stefan Salvatore x Reader

You walked into the large house, stepping over bodies as you went. The vampire currently in residence was reveling in the kill. Given the condition of the rooms around you, it would be easier to just burn the house down when he moved on. Shame really, the architecture was beautiful. 

Noise came from the other room and you followed it until you leaned in the large doorway of a living room. The vampire reclined on the couch as he drank from a luscious blonde. He certainly wasn't neat. You cleared your throat and his head darted up. He still wore his vampire face and you couldn't help the shudder of anticipation that went through you. This one was going to be fun. You'd been following his kills for some time. 

He darted forward, coming to a stop inches from you. He let his features fade to normal, showing you his deep brown eyes though blood still coated his mouth and chin. "Who are you?"

"Y/N Y/L/N. And who are you, other than the Ripper?" you asked with a tilt of your head. 

"Stefan Salvatore." He narrowed his eyes as he looked you over. "If you know who I am, why are you here? You must know I'm dangerous."

You gave a little shrug of your shoulders. "Maybe I like danger, Mr. Salvatore."

He took a step closer and put his hands on your hips. His eyes locked on yours and his lips curled into a smirk. 

You smirked as well and leaned toward him. "You missed a bit," you whispered before running your tongue up the line of his neck and to his lips, savoring the taste of blood as you went. He allowed you to lick softly at the tender flesh there before claiming your lips in a hungry kiss. His hands tightened on your waist and pulled you toward him. You pulled away from the kiss and put your hands on his chest as you looked up at him. "Pleasure to meet you, ripper."


	6. Meeting Elijah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elijah x Reader

"Do you know who I am?" Klaus Mikaelson snarled down at you, his blue eyes sparking in fury.

Your younger brother had angered the Original and you currently stood between the two of them, defending your brother with your life. One of your hands stayed latched around your brother's arm to keep him from leaving. There were times, this being one of them, you wished your sibling hadn't been turned with you. You spent more time getting him out of trouble than you did living your life. 

"Do you know who I am?" you asked with an arched brow. 

That caught him off guard and you noticed he relaxed slightly as his lips twitched and some of the fury left his eyes. This is why you were always getting y/b/n out of trouble. People naturally liked you as much as they disliked him.

"No, love. I have no idea who you are. Should I?"

"Her name is y/n y/l/n," an elegant clipped voice said and you glanced over to see the elder Mikaelson approaching. You'd been a little in love with Elijah Mikaelson from the moment you first saw him. Elegant, calm and refined, he was everything his brother wasn't. You were astounded he knew who you were. You were nobody important.  He stopped in front of the two of you and took your hand in his, kissing the back of it. "I apologize for my brother's lack of knowledge. If he had more discerning tastes he would certainly have been aware of you."

You were two hundred years old and you were certain you just blushed. Regretfully, you pulled your gaze from Elijah's and turned back to Klaus. "What has my brother done this time?" you asked. 

"He claims to have information of import, and offered to sell it to me," Klaus was obviously quite furious with your brother. 

You turned to look at your sibling, grasping his upper arms in your hands. "Is this true?"

"Well, why shouldn't I get something outta it? They wouldn't know without me, now would they?" he said. 

You closed your eyes and took a breath. "Tell them what you know or, so help me, I'll let them have you."

His eyes went wide. "You wouldn't."

You simply arched a brow. 

He sighed and slumped in defeat. "Fine. I saw a man ask someone about you. Once he got the information he needed he compelled them to forget him."

"Who was this man? What did he look like?" It was Elijah who spit out the questions. You released your brother and stepped aside. 

He gave a thorough description and the Originals shared a glance. "Mikael," Klaus said and Elijah nodded. They stepped away together, talking in low voices. Finally you shrugged and started walking away with your brother. 

Suddenly, a hand grasped your arm and turned you around. "Come with us," Elijah said.

You frowned. 

"This man...if he finds out your brother told us this, he will kill you both with no hesitation. At least leave town with us, then go your own way if you wish."

You looked between Elijah and his brother. Finally, you nodded. "Very well. I will leave with you."

Elijah smiled and put your hand on his arm to lead you into the house.


	7. Meeting Klaus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klaus x Reader

You were chaperoning the dance at the high school. You didn't know why you'd let yourself be talked into this. Oh yes, Damon had called and asked for a favor. Even though you had graduated two years ago, you were still friends with Caroline and by extension Elena and Bonnie. The fact that you could read auras and knew instantly what someone was, had only cemented that relationship as they got pulled into the supernatural world. 

You ran a hand down your face and glanced around the dance floor. You didn't see anything unusual. Damon wanted you to watch for Klaus, an Original. Whatever the hell that was. All you saw was the normal students and faculty. Speaking of faculty, Ric was currently dancing his way through the students. You arched a brow. That was very...not Ric.

Closing your eyes, you took a breath and concentrated. When you opened them, you could see everyone's auras. Including Ric's. Unless he'd turned into an extremely powerful vampire overnight, that wasn't Ric. Or werewolf maybe? For some reason the aura was reading both. You looked around only to find Damon and everyone else had yet to arrive. Of course, he would ask for your help then be late.

You made your way to your friend's side. "Hello, Ric," you said. 

He looked at you in surprise. "Hello."

After a glance around to make sure no one was listening, you stood on your toes to speak in his ear. "Who are you?"

He turned to you in surprise and studied you with dark eyes. Slowly, a grin covered his face. "Oh, I like you."


	8. Meeting Alaric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alaric x Reader

Sunday was the one day you got to sleep in. Not that you ever slept much past ten but you'd take what you could get. So when several large thuds from the apartment next door woke you, you grabbed your phone to check the time and groaned. 7:30. Seriously?

You put your phone back and closed your eyes as you buried your head under the pillow trying to shut out the noise. Two more large thuds came, this time your wall vibrated from whatever had impacted it. 

You flipped over with a growl of frustration and tossed the blankets aside. You slid a pair of sweatpants on with the shirt you wore to bed. You put your hair up in a quick ponytail to keep it out of your face then headed to your front door. You watched as a guy carried a box into the apartment next door then went over and leaned in the doorframe. 

He put the box down along the wall then turned, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw you. "Um, hi," he said and raked a hand through his messy brown hair. 

You ran your eyes over him, trying not to be blatant in your inspection of him. He was cute and you suddenly wished you'd taken the time to make yourself look a little more presentable before coming over. You gave him a little wave. "I'm your neighbor," you explained and pointed in the direction of your apartment. 

He smiled then and held out a hand as he approached you. "Alaric Saltzman. Call me Ric."

"Y/N Y/L/N." Instead of complaining as you'd intended you glanced over your shoulder as you realized you hadn't seen anyone else. "Is anyone helping you move in?" you asked.

He released your hand. "I don't really know anyone here so no." He shrugged. 

"Let me get dressed and I'll give you a hand," you offered, cursing your inability to say no to a handsome face.

His smile widened. "Really? That would be great, Y/N. Thank you."


	9. Meeting Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy x Reader

You had harbored a raging crush for Jeremy Gilbert since third grade. It had only gotten worse as you'd gotten older and he hit puberty. He'd always been cute, but now he was handsome. You sat on the picnic table near the school and let your eyes follow him as he moved across the grass. You were 100% sure that he had no idea who you were even if you'd been only one grade above him for the entirety of his school career. You were glad because that meant he never noticed you and you could watch him all the time. You were also sad because he wasn't likely to ask you out if he had no idea you existed.

"Just talk to him already," your best friend told you.

You tore your eyes from your crush and frowned at her. "No. He's been hanging out with that bitch Vickie Donovan lately. I don't want to get anywhere near that."

*** 

Math was your last period of the day which made it seem twice as long as normal. The bell rang and you gathered your stuff up and hurried through the crowds toward your locker. You were nearly there when a hand came down on your books, knocking them all to the floor. You cursed and jerked your head up to find Vickie Donovan and Tyler Lockwood smirking at you. Either one of them might have done it. You and Vickie had never gotten along and Tyler just went along for the ride. 

"Thanks. That was awesome," you told them and knelt to pick your stuff up. You'd just gotten everything gathered together and stood only to have Vickie knock it from your hands again and laugh. "God, you are such a bitch."

"What did you call me?" she said stepping closer, keeping you from picking your stuff up.

You sighed. "A bitch. I'd spell it for you but I'm not sure it would do any good."

Tyler snorted a laugh which he attempted to cover when Vickie turned her glare on him. 

"Why don't you just leave her alone, Vickie," a familiar voice came from beside you. You glanced over to find Jeremy standing next to you. He bent over, picked up your stuff and handed it to you. "Come on," he said to you, ignoring Vickie's pinched expression.

By the time you got to your locker you'd found your voice. "Thanks for that."

"No problem. I'm Jeremy Gilbert."

"I know," you answered and your cheeks immediately grew warm. 

Jeremy chuckled and grinned at you. "And you are?"

"Y/N Y/L/N."

"Well, I'll see you around Y/N y/L/N." With that a walked away giving you one last grin over his shoulder as he neared the end of the hall.


	10. Meeting Kol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kol x Reader

You sat at the end of the bar in your favorite dicey dive. As usual, there were only a handful of customers and two employees. You were nursing a glass of scotch thinking about the trip you needed to make the next day. A sigh escaped your lips as you slid the now empty glass toward Ben the bartender.

"Refill, Y/N?" he asked.

"Not tonight." You stood to leave, only to sit back down as your eyes came to rest on the man that had just walked in. A little flutter of attraction went through you as you took in his dark eyes and hair. Even if you hadn't known precisely who he was, he had trouble written all over him. "Maybe one more, " you said to Ben.

He smiled and slid the full glass back to you. Your eyes followed the man as he moved from customer to customer in the bar, compelling them. You hummed to yourself and studied the liquid in your glass as you waited for him to reach you. As you expected, you were the last to receive his attention.

"Well, hello, sweetheart. Aren't you lovely?" he asked as he sat beside you and ran a finger down the side of your face. 

You turned to him with a grin and he grasped your chin to hold your head in place. "You'll let me do whatever I want to you or anyone in here and not utter a sound," he said, his pupils dilating.

He released you and you leaned forward. "And if I do?"

His eyes widened in surprise and you laughed. You held out a hand. "Kol Mikaelson, isn't it?"

He took your hand and used it to pull you closer to him. "You have me at a disadvantage, sweetheart."

"Y/N Y/L/N. Friend of your brothers. Well, acquaintance. Klaus doesn't really have friends does he?" You scratched your head as you thought about it and shrugged. "Recognized you from his drawings."

He let go of your hand and looked you over. 

You shooed him away with a wave of your hand. "Do what you want. I won't stop you. I'm sure I've seen worse. Just try to keep the blood on that side of the bar, okay?"


	11. Meeting Marcel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marcel x Reader

You weren't entirely certain how you'd ended up moving to New Orleans. No, that was a lie. You were here because you felt the need to keep the few friends you had alive. You sighed as you watched your best friend and roommate Charlotte dance with some random guy. 

You'd met when you were assigned to the same dorm in college. You'd graduated a month ago with an art degree. You had plans that involved working for a museum while you did your art on the side, got into galleries. And then Charlotte had told you she was moving to New Orleans. 

New Orleans which was teeming with vampires. There was also a fair sized population of witches and werewolves around from what you'd heard. She knew nothing about the supernatural. It wasn't like you could sit her down and say, "Look I don't want you moving to New Orleans because I'm afraid you'll get eaten."

So, you'd put your plans on hold to follow her here and make sure she didn't get killed. It wasn't like you didn't have all the time in the world to pursue them later. Sure you could look for a job and a gallery here but it wasn't New York or LA. Your eyes narrowed as you examined the guy she was dancing with. Make that vampire. She always had the worst taste in men. 

"You're new," a smooth voice said from beside you and you turned to see a gorgeous man smiling at you. His white teeth stood out in sharp contrast to his dark complexion. He really was stunning. You licked your lips. Lovely. Just lovely.

"How did you know?" you asked. 

"I know everyone in my town," he answered, leaning one elbow on the bar. 

His wording made you pause. "Your town."

He leaned forward. "Yeah, you might say I run it."

You sighed and signaled for a refill on your drink. "Well, you're sure as shit not the mayor so that must make you Marcel."

His eyes flashed surprise for a moment, but his smile never faltered. "It does. Do I know you?"

"Nope," you said and pursed your lips. "I wasn't speaking to my brother last time he was here, so I didn't have the pleasure. I've heard all about you though. Niklaus thought you dead."

His smile fell. "I wasn't aware there was a Mikaelson I hadn't met."

You extended your hand and he took it. "Y/N. I'm not here to cause trouble. Merely keeping an eye on my friend." You eyed the man dancing with Charlotte again. "You might want to tell the vampire dancing with her that I'll rip his bloody head off if he bites her."


	12. Peace - Klaus Mikaelson

You woke in the darkness and rolled over to snuggle up against your boyfriend. To your disappointment, his side of the bed was empty. You pressed your hand against the sheet to find it cool to the touch. He'd been up for awhile. 

With a sigh, you tossed the covers back and snatched a shirt from the floor. Nik's oversized Henley hung to your knees. It covered all the important bits and that's all you cared about. You stepped quietly through the room and left the door open as you went into the hall. After almost a year of dating the Original hybrid, you were used to waking up alone in the middle of the night. 

He would lay with you until you went to sleep and would usually join you before you woke in the morning, but the hours in between he spent doing who knows what. You headed toward his study as that's where he spent most of his time when he wasn't with you. You knocked lightly on the door even as you opened it. 

As you'd expected, he stood at an easel across the room painting. He glanced up when you stepped into the room and gave you a genuine smile. "Hello, sweetheart. Miss me?"

You kept your hands tucked in the sleeves of his shirt as you nodded and gave him a small smile of your own.  He laid down his brush and stepped back. He opened his arms and you hurried over to wrap your arms around his waist and rest your head against his chest. He hummed in contentment and hugged you tightly. 

After several moments of holding you, he leaned back causing you to look up at him. "You want to sit on the stool while I work, love?" he asked. 

You grinned. "Yes, please."

He placed his fingers under your chin to tilt your head back. His kiss was soft and slow making you feel loved and cherished. When he pulled away, he moved to the side of the room, coming back with a shorter bar stool. He placed it in front of the easel and waited for you to perch on it. 

Once you were settled he picked up his brush and closed the space between the two of you. Now you could lean back against him while he painted the canvas in front of you. He wrapped his free arm across your chest and rested his chin on your head as he thought. 

You'd done this often enough now that you could no longer remember the first time. As always, you sat silently just watching the brush move across the canvas and reveling in the warmth of your lover behind you. This was one of your favorite things to do with him.

It wasn't because you loved to watch the muscles move in his arm as he danced the brush across the painting. It wasn't because you loved just being in his presence. And it wasn't because you got to see his art come to life. All those things were true but what made these times so special to you was that Nik told you he'd never done it with anyone else. 

Your boyfriend was 1000 years old. You'd be a fool if you thought there was much he hadn't done in that time. So when he told you that you brought him peace, that he could paint with you like this because you calmed him, your heart had soared. His art was something he'd long done as a way to disappear into his own head. To separate himself from the world around him. He considered it private, but he let you in. And you weren't about to take it for granted.


	13. Do You Mind? - Elijah Mikaelson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut and language. Do not Read if this bothers you.

It had been a hell of a day. It started as breakfast with your closest friends and ended with you marching into battle beside them. Okay, that was a bit dramatic, even for you. A vampire had come into Mikaelson territory with an army at their back ready to take down the Original family. Idiot. His numbers were nothing compared to their strength. You weren’t a Mikaelson by blood, but they’d declared you family some 300 years ago.

You’d met Rebekah first, bonding over your shared hatred of the vast majority of your peers. Kol liked your penchant for trouble. Klaus fell in love with your artistic spirit. And Elijah…well, to be honest, you weren’t entirely certain why he spent time with you. For your part, you’d been madly in love with the Original since roughly the first time you saw him but he kept his distance. Klaus had been the one to turn you, though you discovered later that Elijah and Kol had been the ones to kill the man that made it a necessity.

Elijah and you grew closer over the years, though you would often disappear for decades at a time when he became too wrapped up in some woman or another to notice you. It wasn’t his fault as you’d never admitted to your feelings, but that didn’t make it any less difficult to watch. Despite your tendency to take off at a moment’s notice, they’d told you often enough that you were family that you believed it by now. And that meant when they had an enemy, you did as well.

Which was how you found yourself covered with blood that was not your own as you stepped through the door of your home. You tossed your relatively clean jacket in the direction of the couch, not checking to see if you hit the target or not. Pulling up your favorite playlist, you put your phone in the dock that would send the music throughout your entire home and cranked the volume.

Fortunately, the blood that thoroughly covered your arms up to your elbows, was mostly dry so you weren’t leaving it on everything you touched. Though by this point in your life you certainly knew how to get blood out of just about anything. Ripping out hearts would never be a clean endeavor, but it was efficient. You swung your hips to the music as you made your way down the hall to your bedroom, unbuttoning your shirt as you went.

You shrugged out of the top and tossed it aside, aware that it would need to be disposed of later. Your jeans went next though they were harder to strip. They’d been tight to begin with but dried blood had them sticking to your skin. Finally, you wiggled them off and kicked them into the pile with your shirt. Your undergarments soon followed.

You stretched your arms above your head willing the lingering tension from the fight to leave your tight shoulders. Until the adrenaline subsided, that was unlikely to happen. It was then you heard it. There beneath the steady rhythm of the familiar song blasting through the speakers was the shuffle of a step followed by a low moan. You spun around only to find Elijah leaning in the doorway to your bedroom. His suit jacket had long since been discarded and the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to just below the elbow. His arms were crossed, pulling the thin fabric tightly across his muscles and causing the vessels to stand out under the skin. Damn the man.

By sheer reflex you grabbed the throw off your bed and held it in front of you. You’d expected Elijah to apologize, to leave and shut the door but he did none of that. Instead, his gaze moved slowly over you, all the way down and back up leaving a trail of heat in its wake. You arched a brow as you cleared your throat. “Do you mind?”

The corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly as his tongue darted out to trace his bottom lip. Heat pooled in your core.  He straightened and moved toward you, closing the space between you with slow, casual strides. “I am a thousand years old, Y/N. I assure you that you possess nothing I have not seen before.”

You swallowed past the lump in your throat. “Yeah, well, you haven’t seen mine.”

He stood so close now you could feel the heat of his breath whisper across your skin when he spoke. “Yes. That appears to be a rather tragic oversight on my part.”

Your gaze searched his face for some indication of what he meant to do next. Before you could think about it too long, his lips found yours. The blanket slipped from your fingers and you pressed yourself against him. Elijah’s hands ran down your back and over the curve of your ass. You thought about stepping back, giving yourself some space and asking him what the hell this was but centuries of wanting won out over being sensible.

With his lips still locked to yours, his hands slipped down to your thighs and lifted. You took the hint and jumped, wrapping your legs around his waist. His hardening length pressed against your slit and you all but panted. Long steps took you into the bathroom where his lips separated from yours only long enough for him to turn on the shower and adjust the temperature. You giggled as his mouth found yours once more.

He pulled back slightly to look at you, his eyes seeking answers to your sudden mirth.

“I know you’re always in a suit, but you were planning on taking it off before the shower, weren’t you?”

He gave you the same look he often gave Klaus. The one that said he was so done with your shit. It only made your grin bigger. “Down,” he instructed with a slap to your ass. As soon as your feet hit the cool tile, he turned you toward the shower and pushed you gently in that direction. “In.”

You’d no sooner gotten under the stream of water than he was there behind you, pressing against you while his lips followed the curve of your neck. He was either still clothed or had used his vampire speed to undress. Since you could feel the heat of his skin against yours, you were going with the latter. You started to turn toward him, wanting to see him. His fingers wrapped in your hair and pulled, lengthening the line of your neck. You weren’t about to complain as his lips continued to worship your skin.

He pulled you against him so your back pressed to his front. There was no space between the two of you as his hands slid up to squeeze your breasts. You glanced down to take in the sight, wanting to memorize every bit of this moment with him in case the opportunity never came again. Reddish-brown blood still covered swaths of his milky white skin and your breath quickened at the contrast. You arched back against him, leaning your head on his shoulder. A twist of your head had your lips meeting once more.

One of his hands began a slow journey down your chest and over your stomach. He stopped just short of your folds and hissed in a breath. You moaned as his lips pulled away from you, mourning their loss. “I want to worship every inch of your body, but I fear I lack the control.”

You were needy, empty and the only thing that could fix it was Elijah. “Worship later, ‘lijah. Fuck me now.” Your hand wrapped around his and guided it into your cunt. His fingers found easy passage in the moisture that had started gathering the moment you found him in your doorway.

“Thank fuck.” The words were little more than a hiss as he maneuvered the two of you into the position he desired. He used his foot to spread your legs apart so your stance was sturdier. His hands ran up your sides then down your arms in unison and a shudder racked your body. He lifted your hands and braced them against the shower wall, flattening his own against them. The gesture brought his mouth next to your ear. “Brace yourself, sweetling.”

His hands wrapped around your waist one moment and in the next, he drove into you. A scream made of pleasure and pain tore from your lips. It had been awhile for you and Elijah was larger than most of your previous partners but you had been wet and waiting for him. Once the haze cleared from your head, you realized he wasn’t moving.

You pushed your ass against him, hoping it would get him to move. His fingers dug lightly into your hips, stilling you. “Did I hurt you?”

It took you a minute to find the breath to speak with him still buried deep inside you. “No, but I’d love it if you did.”

A low chuckle rolled through him pulling another little tremor from you. “Oh, sweet Y/N, don’t you know by now to be careful what you wish for?”

His fingers immediately pressed harder, dug deeper, leaving bruises in their wake though they’d heal as fast as he made them. He pulled back until only his tip remained inside before slamming back in. Each thrust, each rapid movement had you grunting beneath him as he echoed your sounds.

“Oh fuck,” came from you like a mantra repeated over and over again. Your fingers curled against the tile looking for purchase that didn’t exist. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any deeper, his hands shifted position. One lay flat against your belly, the other found its way to your throat. He pulled you back against his chest as he continued to drive into you. “Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck,” was the only sound you seemed capable of making.

Then those sinful lips found your ear. “Come for me, sweetling. I want to feel you gripping my cock. Come undone for me, Y/N.”

The sound that came from you was inhuman, something between a desperate plea and a shout of triumph as you climbed toward that edge. A moment later, a piercing pain jolted through you at the curve of your neck. Elijah’s bite pushed you over that precipice and you trembled and jerked against him as he held you tight. He grunted against your shoulder as his orgasm rode yours. Only when you were both finished, did he pull away and run his tongue over the bite.

He leaned against the back wall of the shower, cradling you against him. Vampire you may be but even your knees were weak after that. His were as well if his current position was any indication. Once you managed to pull yourself together, you chuckled. “That was so much better than I imagined.”

Elijah echoed your laugh. “Imagined this often, have you?”

You pressed a soft kiss to his lips. When you leaned back, you were still close enough that your lips brushed as you spoke. “For longer than I care to admit it has been your face I saw when my fingers danced in my folds and your name on my lips when I came.”

He groaned at the mental image that conjured up. “Why have you never said anything?”

You broke eye contact then, turning away from him and standing on unsteady legs. Hopefully the remaining wobble would be noticeable to no one but you. Grabbing your robe from its hook on the wall, you wrapped it around you and tied it tight. You weren’t even close to clean but that hadn’t really been the point of the shower anyway, had it?

 Digging through your dresser, you found the clothes you were wanting and tossed them onto the bed.

“Y/N?” His voice was low, concerned. You glanced over your shoulder to find him in the doorway to the bathroom, still beautifully nude. Of course, his nudity didn’t concern him, why should it? He was flawless.

You shook your head and focused on your fingers as you twisted them together. Now that the moment had cooled and your mind was clear, all your old worries and insecurities creeped back in.

“Why are you here?” you asked.

His brow furrowed. “I didn’t get the chance to check on you after the fight. I wanted to be certain that you were all right.”

You gazed at him through your lashes. “You never have before.”

He scoffed at that. “Of course, I have.”

“No. You haven’t. It’s always Klaus and Bekah. Even Kol on occasion. I think you might have sent me a thank you text once, but I don’t recall.” That was a lie. You could recall every detail of the words you spent hours analyzing as you cried in your bed. You’d been hung up on this man for far too long. “So, I’ll ask again. Why now? Why tonight?”

He glanced down before meeting your gaze. “Because I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Even as I fought, it was you I sought out. The way you danced through our enemies, leaving them dead in your wake. The way you kept Niklaus from being staked though you knew very well it wouldn’t kill him.” His tongue darted out to moisten his lips and he stepped closer to you. “You were exquisite.”

You’d never been called exquisite before. And to have _this_ man using that word? Holy shit. You let out a long breath deciding you could be honest with him since he’d been honest with you. That didn’t mean you could look at him while you did it. You turned your back and wrapped your arms around yourself. “I was in love with you before I ever became a vampire.”

“But that was…” He trailed off and you were glad for it.

“Many, many years ago, yes. At first, I said nothing because I didn’t want to risk losing what I had. Your family was my family. I couldn’t imagine being sent away from them. From you. When I realized that wouldn’t happen, it seemed every time I gathered the courage to tell you how I felt you had someone else. When I couldn’t take seeing you together anymore, I’d leave and come back in a few decades.”

One finger trailed down the side of your neck and along the curve onto your shoulder. You shivered in response, your nerves still on edge from your earlier love making. “And you’ve been in love with me all this time?”

You nodded once and leaned your head to the side as he traced the same path in reverse. “I didn’t deserve you. I never have. There is darkness in my past I would have kept you from forever if I could.”

“I don’t fear the darkness, Elijah. I never have.”

His mouth found the delicate skin at the curve of your throat and he sucked, nipping lightly before he pulled away. He made a sound of agreement as he moved your hair out of the way and kissed up the column of your throat. “I know. It is one of the things I love about you.”

You sucked in a breath, your hands finding his to grasp them tightly. “What did you just say?”

His tongue flicked out to pull your earlobe into his talented mouth. He bit gently then pressed his lips against the curve of your ear. “I love you, sweet Y/N. Have for ages.”

In an instant you turned to face him, your hands flat on his chest as you peered into his eyes, searching for any hint of deception. Elijah wasn’t a cruel man, surely he wouldn’t do that to you. His eyes were hooded with lust as he looked at you for a moment before capturing your lips with his. You melted against him, smiling when his growing erection pressed against your hip.

You untied your robe and shrugged it from your shoulders letting it pool on the floor. His gaze darkened as he ran his eyes over you once more. That wicked tongue traced the line of his bottom lip as his mouth curved into a grin. “I intend to spend several days showing you just how much I love you, Y/N. Do you mind?”

You mirrored his grin. “I thought you’d seen it all before, Mr. Mikaelson.”

“On that, I was very much mistaken. As I said, you are exquisite.” His arms wrapped around your waist as he fell onto the bed, taking you with him. And from that moment on, he spent every day of your eternity showing you just how much you were loved.


	14. Dancing on My Own (Part 1) -Elijah Mikaleson x Reader; Elijah x Hayley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not cheating, not really. Angsty though  
> Song fic based on Calum Scott's rendition of Dancing on My Own

_Somebody said you got a new friend_  
_Does she love you better than I can?_  
_There's a big black sky over my town_  
_I know where you're at, I bet she's around_

_And yeah, I know it's stupid  
But I just gotta see it for myself _

You had been in love with Elijah Mikaelson for a year. Part of you had dared hope he might feel the same way about you. All the signs seemed to be there, but you were evidently a fool. Klaus argued with you, told you that they'd all thought the same. That Elijah loved you. But how could you believe that? Maybe you just weren't meant to be.

Five minutes around Haley and all of a sudden Elijah had no more time for you. He canceled plans or just simply forgot that you'd made any. You still held onto a thin thread of hope that he was just being overprotective because she was pregnant, because the witches were after her. That was until tonight. Klaus was throwing a party and you stood in the shadows along the wall and watched them dance. Watched them kiss. They only had eyes for each other. 

 _I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh oh oh_  
_I'm right over here, why can't you see me, oh oh oh_  
_And I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh_  
_I keep dancing on my own_

 _I just wanna dance all night_  
_And I'm all messed up, I'm so out of line, yeah_  
_Stilettos and broken bottles_  
_I'm spinning around in circles_  
_And I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh_  
_I'm right over here, why can't you see me, oh_  
_And I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh_  
_I keep dancing on my own_  
_And oh no_

You found a quiet corner where no one was. It was far away from the noise, from the people. But lucky you, you still had a view to the dance floor. Your chest was tight as your heart shattered into little pieces that you were sure would never be put back together. Hot tears ran down your face. At first you wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see you, but they came back as fast as you removed them. What was the point?

They danced and twirled around the room in their own little bubble, ignoring everyone around them. They laughed, then they smiled, then they kissed. It was a pattern that repeated over and over. You wanted to look away, but you couldn't. It was the end of your world and you had to watch it to the bitter finale. And what hurt more than anything was the fact that Elijah seemed to have just forgotten you even existed. You pressed a hand against your mouth as a sob tore from your throat. 

Klaus's head jerked in your direction as he heard you. His smile fell and you saw moisture flood his eyes. His gaze moved around the room and you knew the moment he spotted them. His jaw set and he looked back to you. You simply shook your head. He couldn't fix this, couldn't make his brother love you.

 _So far away but still so near_  
_The lights come up, the music dies_  
_But you don't see me standing here_  
_I just came to say goodbye_  
_I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh_  
_And I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh_  
_I keep dancing on my own_  
_And oh no_  
_Sit down in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh no_  
_And I'm right over here, why can't you see me, oh no_  
_And I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh_  
_I keep dancing on my own_

It wasn't long before Klaus announced the end of the party. You rushed up the stairs as the lights came up. Grabbing your backpack, you stuffed it with the essentials. You couldn't stay here. Not anymore. Yes, you were friends with Klaus and Rebekah but you'd come here for him. 

You rushed back down the stairs hearing shouting from another room. "You've destroyed her," Klaus yelled. "Why would you do that to her?"

"I made her no promises," Elijah responded and your already broken heart shattered a little bit more.  "I'll talk to her," you heard him say as you opened the door and stepped into the cold. Klaus retorted, but the door was already closed and you didn't hear the words. It didn't matter. You were already gone.

 _So far away, but still so near_  
_The lights come up, the music dies_  
_But you don't see me standing here_


	15. Happier - Dancing on My Own (Part 2) Marcel Gerard x Reader; Previous Elijah x Reader

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Fic based on Happier by Ed Sheeran

It hadn't taken long after you left for Elijah to realize he'd been an asshole of the first order. He'd fancied himself in love with Hayley while you'd disappeared into the background. But then you'd left and his world went silent. Your laughter no longer rang through the halls of the house. Your voice no longer filled the air as you teased his brother or sang to your favorite songs. It was then he'd realized that his body was tuned to you. That even when he thought he wasn't paying attention to you, he noticed everything. And now his life felt rather empty.

 

 _Walking down 29th and Park_  
_I saw you in another's arms_  
_Only a month we've been apart_  
_You look happier_

 _Saw you walk inside a bar_  
_He said something to make you laugh_  
_I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours_  
_Yeah, you look happier, you do_

Then came the night he walked through the Quarter as he often did and heard that familiar laugh. He was pulled from his bitter contemplation as his eyes searched for you. He smiled as he caught sight of you but it quickly fell as he realized you weren't alone. In fact you were wrapped tightly in none other than Marcel's arms as you walked down the street and into a nearby bar. 

A pang stabbed through him, jealousy mixed with regret. He never should have let you go that night but he'd been too stupid to realize it. He slipped quietly into the bar and took a seat in a secluded corner where he was unlikely to be observed but he could still see you. As he watched you smile at your date, he wanted nothing more than to rush over and pull you into his arms. Klaus might actually kill him if he did that.

 _Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you_  
_But ain't nobody love you like I do_  
_Promise that I will not take it personal, baby_  
_If you're moving on with someone new_

 _Cause baby you look happier, you do_  
_My friends told me one day I'll feel it too_  
_And until then I'll smile to hide the truth_  
_But I know I was happier with you_

His family had been furious with him when you left. They all loved you in their own way and they hated him for hurting you. It had taken a few days, but he grew to hate himself too. When he'd told Niklaus of his regret, the hybrid had threatened him with at least an extended daggering if he bothered you. He'd said you deserved better.

Elijah wasn't certain if Marcel was a better choice, but he couldn't deny you looked happier than you'd ever looked with him. As he watched the other vampire smile and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear he wondered if it was because Marcel was so much freer with his feelings than Elijah had ever been. 

 _Sat in the corner of the room_  
_Everything's reminding me of you_  
_Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself you're happier_  
_Aren't you?_

 _Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you_  
_But ain't nobody need you like I do_  
_I know that there's others that deserve you_  
_But my darling, I am still in love with you_

Marcel leaned forward, capturing your lips with his. As he pulled back, you lowered your head to lay it on his chest and nuzzled against his neck. The vampire rubbed his hand up and down your back as he kept you pulled tightly against him. Elijah turned his head to look out the window, unable to watch any further. 

Once he'd realized he loved you and didn't want to live without you, he'd stupidly thought it would be a simple task to win you back. He hadn't wanted to admit you might have moved on so quickly. It hurt to see you so content. He tried to tell himself that he was glad you were happy. That he was happy you'd found your place. But part of him wished Marcel would fail you. That he'd move on one day and Elijah could be there to pick you up. His eyes darted back to the two of you and he had to admit it seemed unlikely to happen anytime soon.

 _But I guess you look happier, you do_  
_My friends told me one day I'll feel it too_  
_I could try to smile to hide the truth_  
_I know I was happier with you_

 _Baby, you look happier, you do_  
_I knew one day you'd fall for someone new_  
_But if he breaks your heart like lovers do_  
_Just know that I'll be waiting here for you_

An hour passed before the two of you left your seats to head back out into the New Orleans night. Never once had the two of you stopped touching each other. Marcel pulled you to a stop as you reached the door and cupped your face in his hand. He dipped his head and kissed you slow and sweet. You leaned against his side and he wrapped an arm around you to keep you close. He smiled down at you before turning his attention on the Original still hiding in the corner. 

Elijah clenched his teeth as the other vampire mouthed one word. _Mine._


	16. Rescue? - Marcel Gerard; Mikaelson Family Friend Reader

At some point you had become the Mikaelson mascot. You weren't certain how, it just kind of happened. Elijah was the first sibling you'd met. His charm and manners had drawn you in. He, on the other hand, was taken in by your courage and ferocity. He'd told you more than once that you were the bravest human he'd ever met. 

Klaus had come next. And yes, you'd helped everyone else try to stop him from killing Elena, but to his surprise, you'd also defended him more that once. It had been you that pointed out that Stefan and Damon's hands weren't exactly clean, that they were only pissed because they knew the people Klaus wanted to kill.

Rebekah's friendship had come easily over a shared love of clothes and giving her brothers a hard time. Your relationship with Kol was perhaps the oddest. His siblings had thought he'd try to bed you immediately. After all, you were beautiful and sweet as they all freely admitted. But Kol had taken you under his wing, giving you a nickname and treating you like a beloved little sister. You had paid him back by saving him from the Gilberts when they tried to kill him, which had only assured the family's loyalty that much more.

Everyone knew not to bother you, not to upset you, not to even look at you with anything less than the utmost respect. The Mikaelsons were fiercely protective of you. More than one person had been killed for daring to harm you. So when Kol rushed into the house and announced that you had been taken, the family was in an uproar. They frantically began discussing a plan to rescue you before you could be harmed. 

***

Unknowing of what was happening across town, you were sat across the table from Marcel, sipping a lovely glass of red wine. You put the glass down and leaned back in your chair. Your lips twitched into a smile as you took in the grinning man across from you. "I'm glad I finally said yes," you said.

"So am I," he returned. "I was running out of ways to ask you out without humiliating myself."

You laughed. "I'm pretty sure you did that around time nine or ten."

He laughed flashing that grin that had been the first thing to catch your attention when you met him. "Why did you wait so long to say yes anyway?"

You arched a brow. "Um...in case you haven't noticed, I have a rather protective family. I thought for your own safety I best make sure you were serious about this."

"Well, in that case, thank you for saying no so many times." He saluted you with his glass before drinking down the rest of his wine. "So tell me, Y/N, how does one become so entrenched in the Mikaelson family? Even I was never as close to them as you are."

You shrugged. "It just kind of happened. I say I'm their mascot though that annoys Elijah. They prefer to refer to me as a little sister." You glanced down at your hands which were clasped together in your lap before looking back up. "Perhaps I should just state up front that I will always choose them. If you go to war with them, it will always be them no matter how tied up I am with you. If you don't or can't understand that, I should go now."

Marcel slid his chair around so he was sitting right beside you. He propped his elbow on the back of your chair and brushed your hair behind your ear. "I'm tired of fighting, Y/N. And if it means I can have you, I'll keep the peace with the Mikaelsons."

Your heart stuttered in your chest with his words. Leaning forward, you pressed your lips to his. Soon you were moving in sync with one another. His hands slid under the edge of your shirt to rest on the bare skin at your waist. You both stood so you could get closer to each other. Marcel turned you and pressed you back against the wall. 

His mouth left a trail of kisses from your lips up to your ear where he nipped your lobe and then continued down the side of your neck. 

A loud crash interrupted the two of you. You looked at each other in confusion until Klaus's voice boomed through the house. "Where is she? Where is Y/N?"

"Stay here," Marcel said and zoomed into the other room. 

You rolled your eyes at his stupidity and followed behind. As if anyone could possibly calm the hybrid but you at this moment.

"What is going on?" Marcel asked. 

"I swear, Marcel, if you've hurt her--"

"Hurt who exactly?" you asked as you leaned in the doorway. Klaus had broken down the front door and now stood framed by the opening. Elijah and Bekah stood behind him looking equally furious. Kol however was smirking. The little shit.

"Y-Y/N, are you all right, love?" Klaus asked with wide eyes. He seemed stunned to see you standing before him.

"Well, I was before my date was interrupted."

Marcel's gaze moved between the two of you.

"Date?" Elijah asked, his brows lifting. You nodded and saw Kol slip away from behind his siblings. 

Klaus rubbed the back of his neck before looking at Marcel. "I'm sorry, old friend. There seems to have been a misunderstanding of sorts. We were told Y/N was taken." His eyes shifted to you. "Perhaps you should tell someone the next time you are on a date," he suggested.

Your lips twitched. "I texted Kol hours ago."

Fury contorted Klaus's features and Elijah dropped a hand onto his shoulder to try to calm him down. "What exactly did you tell Kol?" Bekah's crisp voice asked.

"I believe my exact words were, Finally said yes to date with Marcel. I'll be home later. Don't keep dinner," you stated. "Not a lot of room for misinterpretation there."

"I have a feeling little brother was unhappy little sister was on a date," Elijah said.

You laughed and moved forward to wrap your arms around Klaus. He immediately embraced you and dropped a kiss on the top of your head. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Nik."

"Always and Forever, Y/N." Elijah and Bekah stepped forward to take their turns. They all apologized and said their goodbyes to Marcel. As they left you could hear them grumbling. You couldn't make out every word but you distinctly heard the words Kol and dagger.

You continued to watch until your family was out of sight before turning back to your date. "Well, Marcel. Where were we?"

He grinned and grasped your hand in his, pulling you into the other room. "Allow me to show you, princess."


	17. Take Care of Me - Elijah Mikaelson

You pressed your back against the wall trying to see through the darkness that surrounded you. You'd spent the evening at the Grill having a drink and dinner with some friends you hadn't seen in a while. Though that was their choice, not yours. Once you'd become friends with the Mikaelsons most of your other acquaintances had begun to avoid you. You weren't too put off by the trade. The Mikaelsons were fiercely loyal. Even Klaus. You couldn't say that about all of your old friends.

Recently you'd moved in with the Originals as you spent most of your time there anyway. The entire family had left town on business and you had elected to stay behind. While you didn't regret that decision, you were currently regretting your decision to walk to the Grill. It had been the practical choice as it kept you from having to worry about how much you drank. It was only ten minutes into your walk home when you realized you were being followed.

You'd quickly ducked into the alley you were now in as you waited for the person shadowing you to pass by. Your hand snaked into the bag over your shoulder and wrapped around the stake inside. Footsteps shuffled ever nearer and you tightened your grip. Before you could react, an arm pressed against your throat holding you against the wall. Unless you were mistaken this was a human in front of you so you held off on using the stake. For now.

"Who are you?" you hissed through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

"I want you, Y/N Y/L/N. You're the Originals puppet." He sneered at you. 

Your heart skipped a beat at the mention of your friends. "What does a human want with the Originals?"

He smirked. "Not human, sweetheart. Hunter. And you're going to tell me how to kill them."

"That's easy. They can't be killed. Sorry, not sorry."

He applied more pressure to your throat and the edges of your vision started to go black. "I really wish you hadn't said that. See, you're a pretty little thing and I hate to hurt you but I have ways to get the information I want. And years of practice."

He smacked you with his free hand and your head snapped to the side. Without thinking too much about it, you tightened your grip on the stake and shoved it into his stomach. He immediately released you and stumbled back. You ran toward the end of the alley only to have a hand wrap around your ankle and pull you down. A grunt left your lips as you crashed into the hard ground. Pain flared through your arms and knees as the impact jolted through you and scraped skin away. 

You flipped yourself over to face your attacker as he crawled over you, his face contorted with anger and pain. "I'm a hunter, not a vampire you dumb bitch." Spittle sprayed your face as he spat out the words. 

You struggled and twisted beneath him desperate to get away. Pain exploded through your face as he punched you. Before you could recover he did it again. As you tried again to get away from him, his hand wrapped around your throat. He lifted slightly off of you as he put more strength into choking you. It gave you just enough room to jerk a knee into his crotch. He involuntarily rolled to the side and you were quick to scramble past him. 

Once more, you wrapped your hand around the stake he discarded when he pulled it from his stomach. You spun to face him as he tried to crawl over you again. This time you shoved the stake into his chest. He gasped as he struggled to breathe and you yanked your weapon out of his body. "A stake through the heart kills hunters too, asshole," you said as you shoved it back into his chest, making sure to pierce his heart this time. 

He collapsed on top of you and you shoved him off with a curled lip. Pushing yourself upright you moved away from the body until your back leaned against the wall of the building behind you. Pulling your phone from your bag, you pushed the call button to redial the last call you made. It would be one of the Mikaelsons though you couldn't remember which one. Frankly, it didn't matter, though you hoped it wasn't Kol. He was a bit impulsive to put it mildly.

"Hello, Y/N," Elijah's smooth voice came over the line. Relief flooded through you. 

You cleared your throat. "Have you guys made it back yet?" you asked, not wanting to freak them out if they were nowhere near home. You cringed at how rough and ragged your voice sounded. Your foot lashed out and kicked the corpse in front of you. Asshole. You hoped he hadn't done any permanent damage to your vocal cords. 

"We arrived an hour ago and are anxious to see you. What has happened to your voice?"

"A hunter attacked me." 

"Are you all right? Where are you? Where is he now?" His voice had taken on the clipped tone he got when he was irritated or upset. You could hear the others in the background asking him what was going on.

"I'll be fine. Him not so much. I'd been walking about ten minutes or so when it happened." With that you hung up. You knew he wouldn't be happy about it, but your throat hurt and you didn't want to talk any more. Not right then. 

Within minutes, Elijah and Klaus were both crouched in front of you. The elder Original brushed your hair behind your ear as his eyes looked you over. "What happened?"

"We can discuss that later," Klaus said as he stood, pulling you up with him. "Let's get you home, love. Kol will take care of this and meet us there."

You nodded, afraid if you opened your mouth you'd start crying. You stumbled a couple of steps before Elijah swept you up into his arms. "Close your eyes, sweetling." You smiled at the nickname before draping your arms around his neck. You buried your head against his chest and sighed in contentment. Regardless of your current predicament, you took the opportunity to enjoy your closeness to the elegant Original.

He sped you home and up to his room, pausing only long enough to open the front door. Heading immediately to the bathroom, he sat you on the counter. The soft glow of light filled the room as he flipped on one of the switches. Your eyes followed him as he came back and stood between your legs. His hand cupped your face as his eyes inventoried your injuries. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth. 

His thumb caressed the bruise on your cheek lightly and you winced at even the light touch. His eyes darted to yours. Your gazes locked and, almost involuntarily, you leaned toward him. It was always like this with him. Whenever he was near you gravitated toward him. There was barely an inch between you when Elijah broke eye contact, cleared his throat, and stepped back. "We need to get you cleaned up, sweetling. Let me take care of you."

You nodded and your cheeks flared. How could you have almost kissed him? He was taking care of you because you were his friend. It didn't mean he cared about you the way you cared about him. Unable to meet his eyes again, you watched his hands as he carefully wiped the blood from your hands. He pressed a cool cloth lightly against the bruising on your face. It was tender but you didn't think anything was broken. When he moved to cleaning the scrapes on your arms, you squeezed your eyes shut and hissed. 

When he finished he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "Stay here."

You opened your eyes to watch him as he left the room. When he returned, he gave you a soft smile and you averted your gaze again. "Put this on so I can look at your knees," he said as he laid a t-shirt on the counter beside you. He left shutting the door as he went. 

You hopped down and quickly stripped from your dirty, bloody clothes. The shirt was covered in blood that had soaked through to your bra. You wrinkled your nose and dropped them both in the trashcan. Using the rag Elijah left on the counter you wiped the remaining traces of blood from your skin. Your jeans weren't near as bloody, but the knees had been torn out from your fall. They joined the rest of your clothes in the trash.

The shirt Elijah brought you was one of the oversized t-shirts you lounged in. It hit you at mid thigh though you typically wore it with a pair of boxers or sleep pants. Having neither, you shrugged and opened the door. You showed off your knees to the Original waiting on the other side. They were red but you didn't see any open wounds.

Elijah arched a brow and hummed as he looked you over. Stepping closer, he used his fingers to tilt your head back and examine your neck. "He is fortunate you dispatched him so readily. My siblings and I would have made him suffer."

He lowered your chin and your gazes locked again. Your heart sped as his fingers lingered. He had to know what he did to you, had to hear your heart race anytime he was close to you. A knock came at the door. The two of you ignored it and kept your focus on each other. 

"Open up, Elijah. You have to share her you know. We all want to make certain she's all right," came Kol's voice. 

Elijah sighed and rolled his eyes before walking over and opening the door to his brother. Kol ignored him completely and made a bee line straight for you. "Hello, darling. How are you feeling?" 

You crossed your arms over your chest. "Annoyed. He ruined my favorite pair of jeans." You frowned upon hearing how rough your voice still was. At least the pain had subsided somewhat. 

"Throat sore?" he asked. 

You nodded and he looked over his shoulder to Elijah who had come over to stand beside the two of you. "Isn't there anything we can do for that?" Kol asked. They didn't bother asking if you wanted blood as they knew you wouldn't drink it unless you were seriously injured. 

"Whiskey. Whiskey fixes everything," you told them.

Kol laughed. "That's my girl." He turned his back to you. "Climb up and we shall retreat to the living room where my other two siblings are impatiently awaiting your arrival. It also happens to be where we keep our copious amounts of alcohol."

Before you could say or do anything, Elijah stepped between the two of you. "I believe Y/N has had enough excitement for one evening. She can tell us her story tomorrow. For now, I will see to her drink and get her settled."

Kol turned with a smirk and began walking backward toward the door. "Klaus won't be happy."

"I fail to see what difference a few hours makes. The man is dead. We'll talk about it when her throat has had a chance to recover. It is not up for discussion. Not even with Niklaus." Elijah was always the epitome of elegance, but you secretly loved it when he got bossy. It was a good look for him.

Kol laughed as he backed out of the room and shut the door. "No Y/N for us," his raised voice came through the door as he yelled at the two siblings that were downstairs. "Elijah is finally making his move on her."

You bit your lip to keep from laughing as Elijah's shoulders tensed and his head dropped forward. "Sometimes I greatly mourn the fact my mother didn't stop having children after my birth," he said in a low tone, though you could hear him just fine.

You took a step forward and wrapped your arms around his waist while laying your head on his back. His hands ran over your arms and his fingers linked with yours. After a moment, he turned and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you tightly against his chest. "My heart ached when you called and said you'd been attacked. And it wasn't because I was worried for my friend. It was because I wasn't there to protect the woman I love from being harmed."

You looked up in surprise. You'd thought perhaps he fancied kissing you or might ask you on a date. It never entered your wildest dreams that he might feel as deeply for you as you did for him. You reached up and rested your hand against his cheek.

His eyes searched yours. "We don't have to do this now, Y/N. You've been through a traumatic experience this evening. I would rather you not make any hasty decisions."

"Hasty? I've been in love with you for months. Surely you could hear my heart racing every time I was around you."

He pursed his lips. "I was rarely around you without one of my other siblings. I had no guarantee it was I you harbored feelings for. In fact, Kol was quite certain it was him."

You hummed. "Kol is quite certain the queen of England fancies him. In this case however, he knew full well it was you I liked."

"Did he now?" Elijah all but growled.

Grinning, you wove your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him forward so you could finally get the kiss you'd wanted for so long. It was soft and sweet and full of the passion you had for one another. Pulling back you looked into his eyes again. "I love you, Elijah Mikaelson."

"And I love you, Y/N Y/L/N. Forever and For Always." 


	18. Shall We Dance? - Kol Mikaelson

The Mikaelson ball was truly a sight to behold. The men in their tuxes and the women in their best gowns. You hadn't been to an event like this in decades. You had been invited by both Elijah and Klaus but it was Elijah's invitation that brought you there. You got along well enough with the hybrid but you didn't trust him. He always seemed to want something from you but you weren't about to fall into the trap of being one of his pet witches. You were far too powerful and intelligent for that. 

Elijah, on the other hand, respected your position and the two of you had become great friends over the years. His gaze fell on you as you made your way to the bar for a new drink. Something stronger than the champagne they seemed to be pouring by the gallon. His eyes lit up and he gave you a warm smile. He continued his conversation however and you knew he would find you later. 

"Whiskey neat, please," you said as you reached the bar. 

"That's quite a drink," a voice said from beside you. 

You hummed in agreement but didn't even spare a glance for the man. The bartender placed the glass in front of you and you sipped at the dark liquid. It burned all the way down and you enjoyed every second of it. 

"What's your name?" he asked. "I'm Kol. Perhaps you've heard of me."

Of course you had, the younger brother. Ladies' man. Impulsive. Klaus tended to keep him daggered to keep the rest of the family out of trouble. Of course, with Mikael gone that wouldn't be necessary any longer. Interested now, you turned to take the man in. "Can't say that I have," you told him, not wanting to inflate his ego any more than necessary. "My name is Y/N Y/L/N."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

His cheeky smirk, dark hair and dark eyes, made a rather attractive package truth be told, but you'd never been that easy to win over and you weren't about to start now. "That's what you're going with?"

His brow furrowed and you glanced past him to see Elijah watching your conversation, his lips twitching in amusement. "What do you mean?" Kol asked drawing your attention back to him. 

You arched a brow. "I mean of all the words in the English language those are the ones you chose to put together? Beautiful name for a beautiful girl? How many women have you said that to over the years?"

He smiled wide and looked you over from head to toe as if enjoying the realization you wouldn't be easy prey.  "A few. I never meant it until you."

You rolled your eyes as you downed the rest of your drink. "Casual pick up lines won't work on me."

"And what does work on you, sweetheart? I'm dying to know." He leaned closer until he was only inches away from you. Your heartbeat quickened and you saw his knowing smile as he heard. 

Elijah appeared beside you and offered his hand, which you gladly took. "Honesty is usually the best policy when it comes to Y/N. You should try it sometime."

Elijah spun you out into the middle of the dance floor. "Hello, Y/N."

"Hello, Elijah. It's good to see you again. Thank you for the invitation."

He smiled. "Of course. What fun is a ball without my favorite dance partner in attendance? Is Kol bothering you? I can get him to leave you be if you'd prefer." 

He twirled you causing you to laugh as he spun you back into his arms. "He's not a bother, but it's no fun if you don't make them work for it. What I would like is to know why you really invited me, Elijah? Why did Niklaus invite me?"

"You always were intelligent." He turned as you danced so he could take in the room immediately around the two of you. Pulling you closer to him, he lowered his head to yours so he could speak in your ear. "My mother has returned from the dead. She says she wishes to unite the family. I don't believe her. I need to know if she's up to something."

"Of course," you answered with a smile. It should be a simple enough task. Before Elijah could say anything else, someone tapped on his shoulder. 

"Mind if I cut in, brother?" Kol asked. 

Elijah tilted his head to you then handed you over. "Hello again, Kol," you said. "Have any new material you'd like to try?"

"You wound me, Y/N. You honestly do," he responded, full of mock sincerity. 

Suddenly, the music ended and an announcement was made. "Please join us in the entryway for a toast."

"Ah, it's mother's turn to be the center of attention," Kol stated. "Shall we?" He offered his arm and you looped yours with his. You ended up standing between Kol and Elijah. Klaus caught your eye and you gave him a smile and a slight bow of your head. He saluted you with the glass he'd just taken from the waiter. 

Elijah turned to speak with a petite brunette as Kol handed you a glass. An electric shock went through your fingers as you took it from him. Not a spell, but something else. Preparation for a spell, perhaps? You closed your eyes and inhaled the aroma from the champagne as you whispered your own spell for insight. Blood in the drink to bind the family. There could be no good purpose for that. "Don't drink it," you said in a low tone, knowing the vampires on either side of you would hear. 

You watched out the corner of your eyes as both men pretended to drink without actually swallowing any of the liquid. They quickly put their glasses, as well as yours, on the tray of a passing waiter. Elijah leaned down and laid his lips against your ear. "Klaus heard your warning as well I believe. Would you care to elaborate?"

You gave him a small smile. "Not here."

"Of course," he said and kissed your cheek.

Kol took your hand and turned you to face him. "Now, Ms. Y/L/N, if it is honesty you wish, it is honesty you shall have. My eyes haven't left you since you walked through the door. You outshine every other woman here without even trying. You are simply stunning."

With that he kissed the back of your hand and you couldn't keep the smile from your face. "Well done, Mr. Mikaelson."

His smile mirrored your own as he bowed before you and offered you his hand once more. "Shall we dance?"

You slid your hand into his, vowing to worry about Esther and whatever magic she wished to weave tomorrow.


	19. Shall We Dance? (Part 2) - Kol Mikaelson

The Mikaelson siblings had situated you in one of the guestrooms in their home. Which meant that you were on hand when their mother pitched an absolute fit in the middle of the night. She had burnt sage to keep her deeds from being overheard, but your spell to detect any danger in the home was far stronger than burning herbs.

You sat on the edge of the bed and listened to her tirade. “I don’t understand. How could we have possibly failed?”

“I do not know, mother. They all drank the champagne, I am certain of it.” You tilted your head in an attempt to place the voice. The oldest of them, Finn. You’d only spoken to him briefly but hadn’t cared for him much. At least you knew your intuition was still as sharp as ever. “Perhaps the girl’s blood did not make it into all of the glasses.”

What girl?

“Don’t be foolish, Finn. I wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake,” Esther insisted.

You pursed your lips as you stood. It was time to get some answers for your friends and to put an end to whatever treachery the Original witch was concocting. You left your feet bare so you could move more quietly and eased the door open. After brief consideration you decided to wake the other brothers. Your attention would be taken by the witch, you didn’t need to worry about the vampire as well.

You tried the first door you came to, not remembering whose room it was. The knob turned easily and you stepped inside before shutting the door behind you. The less noise you made the better. You’d barely turned around when your back was pressed against the door and a hand clamped over your mouth. Your heart raced as a warm body pressed against you.

“Hello, Y/N,” Kol all but purred. “If you wished to accompany me to bed, all you had to do was ask.” His nose nuzzled against the side of your neck before his mouth found your ear. “Why are you here, witch?”

A tremor went through you at the feel of his lips brushing against your ear. You grasped the hand he still held over your mouth and pulled it away. After releasing it, you ran your hands up the bare chest of the vampire in front of you. You hooked one hand behind his neck to pull him toward you as you whispered a spell. Your lips found his in the dark and you sighed at the sensation.

 _Your mother plots against you. Blood in the cups I kept you from drinking tonight. A binding._ The spell you’d cast allowed you to speak directly into his head as long as your lips remained in contact.

Kol jerked back in surprise, his dark eyes searching your face. “What—”

Two fingers against his lips cut him off. You gave him a cockeyed grin as you kissed him again.

He moaned and his hands settled on your hips. _God, you’re good at that._

You giggled though you quickly stifled it. _Why, thank you, Mr. Mikaelson. Finn is with her. Whatever she is plotting, he knows. We need Elijah and Klaus to help as well._

He stepped away from you and strode over to the table beside his bed. “Stupid bloody Finn,” he grumbled.

“Shhh,” you chastised.

You could see his scowl clearly when he turned as his face was illuminated from the light of his phone. “He can’t hear me in here, darling. State of the art soundproofing.”

You made a sound of agreement. “And if your mother is using magic to listen in?”

He shrugged as if it didn’t matter and you rolled your eyes. Vampires never took any threat seriously until it was shoving a stake through their heart.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you padded over to peer at his phone.

He grinned as he turned on his bedside lamp. “Texting my brothers. I’d prefer if you didn’t use the same trick to relay the information to them. This is just as quiet.”

Your lips twisted as you tried not to smirk. The door opened and you jumped in surprise. Elijah and Klaus had arrived together. The latter held up his phone in anger as he looked between you and Kol. “You are certain about this?”

You nodded once and that was enough for the hybrid. You’d never let him down before, there was no reason for you to start now.

Elijah’s gaze took all of you in. “What is the plan, Y/N?”

Still paranoid about being overheard despite Kol’s assurances, you motioned for all three men to come closer. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

***

They hated your plan. All three of them protested but since you could give them unending aneurysms if the didn’t cooperate, your plan it was. You paused outside Esther’s door and knocked lightly. “Come in,” her answer came immediately.

You opened the door and stepped inside, taking in her and Finn stashing something in the drawer of her desk.

Esther frowned. “Y/N, correct? Is there something you need?”

“I was hoping to talk to you for a moment.” You wrung your hands together as if you were anxious about what you had to say. Your eyes found Finn. “Alone.”

“Certainly. Finn, I’ll see you in the morning. We will finish our discussion then.”

He looked unsure but merely said “Yes, mother,” and left, shutting the door behind him. His brothers were waiting in his room, ready to dagger him the moment he came through the door.

“What is it you wished to discuss, child?”

You huffed a laugh as you shed the timid persona you’d donned for her sake. You rolled your shoulders back and straightened your spine. “I am hardly a child, Esther Mikaelson. And if you had full access to your power you would know that.”

She stood and narrowed her eyes. “I have come back from the dead. Is that not power enough for you?”

You hummed. This close to her, you could feel her power buzzing in the air. It was no match for yours. It felt new. Borrowed somehow. “It’s not your power though, is it? Not entirely.”

“I don’t know who you think you are trifling with but—”

You waved a hand through the air before clutching it in a fist, silencing the other witch. Another gesture and she found herself back in the seat she’d left. As you walked toward her you trailed your fingers along the lines of the furniture you passed.

“Now, why would you want to bind your children together? It could be for nothing good without their cooperation. So, not strength. They hardly need health or a spell for a long life…” You trailed off as you examined the woman. “Death. You mean to kill them. But why would Finn help you?”

You snapped your fingers to allow her use of her vocal cords again. “Because he understands the abominations they have become. He loathes this existence and he will help me set things right. Nature is out of balance and I have returned to fix it.”

You arched a brow. “Bullshit. _Your_ presence here sends things out of balance far more than theirs. If nature wanted to be rid of the Mikaelsons, it’s had a thousand years to come up with a much better plan than you.”

The door burst open and you silenced Esther again before turning to the disturbance. The three men looked between you and their mother. “She means to be rid of us,” Klaus all but growled. “She was to bind us together then kill Finn so we would follow.”

“Thank you, Klaus. That is excellent information. Very helpful.”

Elijah pursed his lips. “You already knew, didn’t you?”

You placed a hand on your hips. “What kind of witch do you take me for, Elijah Mikaelson? Of course, I already knew. Did you get what I asked for?”

“What kind of vampire do you take me for, Y/N Y/L/N?” Klaus responded with a smirk. “Of course, I did.”

By the time another hour had passed, Esther and Finn were back in coffins. Finn daggered and Esther aware but silent. Klaus had ripped out her heart the last time and she still managed to come back so you didn’t see the point in killing her this time. Let her suffer a little. Maybe she’d learn her lesson.

No, you did something better. The spell you cast on the coffins was old magic and took a lot of your power. Once completed, no one would be able to open either coffin without your magic and the blood of three Mikaelsons. You would have made it four, but no one knew where Rebecca had gotten off to.

You rocked on your feet as you finished the spell and Kol swept you up in his arms before you collapsed. “Well done, witch. Now, it’s time to rest.”

You laid your head against his shoulder and nodded. “Okay, Kol.”

He chuckled at your sleepy voice and headed toward your room.

“Wait,” you said stopping him at the door.

His eyes were serious as he waited for you to speak.

“Your bed looked far more comfortable than mine.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “Did it, now?”

You made a noise of agreement. “And in a few hours, maybe we can test out that soundproofing of yours.”

“As the lady wishes,” he said with a smile as he changed direction to his room. He slid you under the covers that were still flung back from earlier and pressed a kiss to your forehead. You were asleep before he even crawled into the bed beside you.


	20. Lost Time - Klaus Mikaelson

You flipped through the clothes in your closet looking for just the right dress. Nik and Elijah had invited you to attend some sort of formal tea or something. You didn't really pay much attention after "Niklaus and I would like you to attend...". Honestly, Elijah could have been inviting you to a virgin sacrifice and you probably would have said yes. Your fondness for the Originals was going to be your undoing one day. You just knew it.

Not finding anything to your liking, you huffed and glanced at the clock. Ten AM. All the stores would be open and the event wasn't until two. You had plenty of time to go shopping. You grabbed your phone and your purse and headed out the door. You planned to stop by the Mikaelsons on your way out of town to see if Rebecca wanted to go with you. You'd just call her, but if you dropped by you might get to visit with her brothers. You had no shame.  

The drive to their house wasn't long but when you were little more than half way there, you pulled off the road and slammed on your brakes. There was something seriously wrong. Your hands gripped the steering wheel and your eyes darted around taking in your surroundings. Something had changed suddenly. What was it? You licked your lips and realized they tasted of copper. That only made you frown further. You were human. There was no reason for you to taste blood.

But that wasn't what had made you stop. Then you realized what it was. The car was silent. Hadn't you been singing along to a song on the radio just a moment before? You went to rake a hand through your hair only to find it pulled back. While you normally did wear your hair up, you'd decided to leave it down today. You tugged the tie out of it and tossed it aside.

Your phone buzzed and you answered it without checking the screen.

"Hello?"

"Y/N," Elijah said, sounding relieved. "We've been worried. Are you all right?"

"Of course," you answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

There was a long stretch of silence. "Did you forget that we had an engagement today? When Nicklaus and I arrived to pick you up, you were not there. As that behavior is unlike you, we have been attempting to reach you. This was the first time we've had any success."

A shiver ran up your spine. "Elijah...what time is it?"

"It is nearly six."

You didn't even know what to say that. That's when you noticed the light outside of the car had changed. What was going on? "I'll be at your house in a moment. I'm almost there." You hung up without waiting for a response. You'd lost nearly eight hours of your life. If anyone could help you figure out where it went, it was the Originals. 

Elijah had the door to your car open before you even turned off the engine. He offered you a hand and helped you out. Immediately, you threw your arms around him and clutched him to you. His presence alone made you feel better. He hugged you back and as you gazed over his shoulder you saw Nik and Bekah both watching from the door of the house. You released Elijah and hurried past him toward the house. Nik came to meet you and by the time he embraced you, tears were running down your face. 

Rebekah put her arms around both of you. 

"What is going on here?" you heard Kol ask, amused. 

"We're not certain as of yet," Elijah answered. His voice was close and you realized he had his hand on your back in an attempt to comfort you. 

You sniffed. "Group hug," you managed to get out, though your voice was muffled as your face was still pressed against Nik's chest. 

"Well, count me in," Kol said in a cheeky tone. He threw himself at the rest of you and you rocked on your feet. 

You laughed despite your tears and straightened. You swiped at your cheeks to get rid of the tears. Kol threw his arm around your shoulders and tugged you against his side. "Come. I will get you a drink and you can tell us what this is all about." You nodded and let him lead you into the living room. The others followed in your wake. 

Kol was true to his word. He settled you on the couch before fetching you a glass of your favorite liquor. "Speak," he ordered and took a seat. 

Your gaze darted around the room. Everyone was watching you but it didn't bother you. They were worried about you. That was all. You took a deep breath. "I needed a dress. I decided to go shopping and thought I'd run by here to see if Bekah wanted to go with me." You took a large swallow of your drink. "I left my house at ten. I pulled over halfway here and that's when Elijah called to tell me I'd missed our outing and it was six."

Nik straightened in his seat. "What?"

You glanced at him. "I lost eight hours. I have the feeling something horrible happened, but I don't remember any of it."

"I thought you were on vervain?" Elijah said.

"I drink vervain tea every morning."

In a flash, he stood in front of you and held out a hand. "May I?"

You put your hand in his and nodded. His face vamped out and he turned your hand so he could bite your wrist. He only took a sip and glanced up at you as he pulled away. "I'm afraid there's not even a hint of vervain in your blood, Y/N."

You didn't know what to say that. You'd had your tea this morning just like every other. Your eyes shifted from him to Nik as the hybrid came over and crouched in front of you. He placed his hand on your knee as he looked in your eyes. He gave you a small smile. "Lets see if we can get your memories back, love."

You nodded and he cupped your face in his hands as he locked his gaze with yours. "You are going to recall every detail of what happened today. Any compulsion you were put under by anyone other than me will no longer affect you."

You gasped and jerked back as images flooded your brain. Stefan had done this. You shook your head. That couldn't be right. He was your friend. But no, he'd told you that he'd planned this. He was getting revenge on the Mikaelsons for everything, but Nik especially. Nik loved you, Stefan had insisted despite your arguments to the contrary. And Rebekah was your best friend. Rebekah who had betrayed him by sleeping with Damon. And the ever noble Elijah who was anything but and needed to be taught a lesson. Even Kol liked you and would be devastated should anything happen. And then of course there was you who had chosen the Mikaelsons. Who had befriended them despite everything they had done. 

As the memories flooded back, it was apparent Stefan had turned off his humanity again, but that didn't excuse this. Nothing did. And if you told the people in this room with you, they'd never forgive themselves for being the cause of your pain. But you knew that you wouldn't be able to keep it from them, either. 

"I-I need a minute," you managed to choke out before pushing your way past everyone. You ran from the house. When you'd put some space between you and it, you bent over and put your hands on your knees as you sucked in air. It occurred to you that you were on the verge of having a panic attack, but you felt entitled.

Stefan spent the majority of the day tormenting or torturing you in one way or another. He had intended to take his time, then leave you for the Mikaelsons to find. You were nearly dead when Damon interrupted and saved you. He'd fed you his blood and he'd been the one to compel you. It was hard to remember because you were in so much pain at the time, but you thought you recalled him locking Stefan in one of the basement rooms at the boarding house.  

"What's wrong, Y/N?" Bekah asked in a trembling voice from behind you. 

You straightened and shook your head but didn't turn to look at them. You weren't this person. In fact one of the reasons you got along so well with the Originals was how level you were under stress. 

"Now, Darling," Kol coaxed. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that you're starting to scare me a bit. You can tell us anything, Y/N. You know that."

 "Do I?" you asked before you could stop yourself. You pressed the back of your hand against your mouth and closed your eyes. Your other hand was propped on your hip. 

Nik and Elijah came to stand behind you. You didn't look and they didn't say anything but you knew they were there just the same. They stepped closer to you as you began to talk, but none of them touched you. Somehow they understood that any contact from them would break you. You began with Stefan waving you down and ended with Damon's rescue and compulsion. You skipped nothing, telling them of every cut, every strike, and every word.

There was silence when you finished speaking, but you still didn't turn, keeping your gaze anywhere but on the people behind you. 

"Elijah," Nik said, his voice cracking. The sound had a tear rolling down your cheek.

"Kol and I shall see to it immediately," he answered. His tone was clipped and angry. 

The hybrid came to stand directly behind you, his hands settling on your upper arms. "Would you give us a moment, Rebekah?" he said quietly.

"Don't do anything stupid, Nik," she told him before she walked in the house. 

Nik turned you and pulled you into his chest. His arms wrapped around you and held you tightly. "I am so sorry, love," he said into your hair, his voice cracking again.

"Don't do that, Nik," you told him. "Don't take this on."

"And how do propose I avoid that, Y/N? It is, after all, my fault. I should never have said hello to you."

You leaned back and ran your eyes over his face. Hurt pierced your heart making it skip a beat.  "So now, you wish you hadn't even met me?" 

"If it would have spared you this, than yes."

You shoved away from him and he reached after you but ultimately let his hand drop. You raked your hands through your hair in agitation. "Damn it, Nik. I would repeat today a thousand times as long as it meant I got to keep you. All of you. What kind of life do you think I had without you in it?"

You shook your head and turned away from him again. You were raw, exposed and you didn't like it. But everything you'd said was the truth. Before Nik, before the Mikaelsons, you were alone even in a room full of people who claimed to be your friends. You'd spent a lifetime on the outskirts, of being the afterthought. 

Nik sighed. "He told you the truth, you know."

You frowned in confusion and turned back to face him. "What?"

He put his hands behind his back and glanced at the ground before looking back to you with a little smile. "When he told you that I loved you. He was correct."

You huffed out a laugh of disbelief and the hybrid turned his attention back to the ground. Realizing he'd misunderstood you said, "You don't need to try and make me feel better , Nik. There is no way someone like you would feel that way about someone like me. I faced that fact a long time ago."

His head jerked up and he tilted it to the side as he studied you. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm not that girl. I never have been. I'm not the one a guy sees in a group and decides he wants. And that's okay. I'm happy with who I am." And you were. Not that it hadn't taken you a lot of work and time to get to that point. 

He stepped forward and cupped the side of your face in his hand. "You're right. I didn't see you in a group and think that." You couldn't help the small thread of disappointment that curled through you. "Because I only saw you, Y/N. When I walked in the grill that night you might as well have been the only one there. In all of my thousand years I've never experienced that before."

You studied him, looking for any hint of deception from him, but you found none.

He grinned. "Don't get me wrong, Love. I'd certainly been attracted to women before. After all, I am who I am. But this went beyond that. I knew then that if you would have me, I'd never need anyone else. And I still believe that."

"And you'd give that up?"

"If it kept you from being hurt? Absolutely, love."

 You shook your head again. "Well, I won't let you. Not for my own good, not for yours. We're just going to have to suffer through eternity together."

He looked into your eyes. "Whatever you say, love." Everything else was forgotten as his lips found yours and you lost yourself in his kiss. 


	21. Home - Elijah Mikaelson

You leaned your head against the back of the couch and ran your hands down your face. You'd spent most of the day looking through grimoires, searching for spells and you were exhausted. Esther was out there somewhere, threatening your friends and you were looking for a way to stop her for good. 

"I think it's time for you to take a break, Darling," a smooth voice said and you cracked your eyes open to peer at Kol as he leaned against the door frame. 

"Yeah," you muttered. "On the plus side, I found the unlinking spell. It will be easy enough to do once we find Finn."

He grinned. "That is good news." He dropped onto the couch beside you and pressed a kiss to the side of your head. 

The gesture made you smile. Kol, despite his psychopathic tendencies, was your best friend. You let yourself lean against his side and he wrapped an arm around your shoulders to pull you closer. You were asleep within moments.

***

"What precisely is going on here?" a familiar, clipped voice asked. It was enough to pull you from your deep slumber but you kept your eyes closed hoping you'd find sleep once again. It had been in short supply as of late.

"She's resting, Elijah." You flinched from the anger in Kol's voice. He made comforting noises and ran his fingers through your hair. "Poor thing has worn herself ragged trying to find a way to stop Mother."

Elijah sighed. "I understand she is resting, Kol, but is it necessary she do so in your lap?"

"Necessary? Well, no but far be it for me to relocate her."

You blinked your eyes open when someone picked you up. Elijah was frowning at Kol. "Then allow me." Realizing you were awake, he smiled down at you, his eyes softening. "It is all right, Y/N. Go back to sleep."

You closed your eyes and nestled against his chest. His arms squeezed you closer as he carried you through the house. You could spend days just like this, but unfortunately it wasn't long before you were laid in a bed and covered with a warm, thick blanket. Elijah always remembered you liked the weight of a heavy blanket on you while you slept. 

You thought you heard the suited Original chuckle as you nuzzled your pillow and drifted back into a deep sleep.

***

_It was dark. So dark. You stumbled and tripped as you ran through the forest. Over and over again you would have to swerve at the last moment to keep from running face first into a tree. You couldn't run anymore. Your lungs were on fire and you sucked in mouthfuls of air trying to get your heart to quit pounding._

_"You can't run from me, child. I don't know why you try." Esther's voice echoed in the distance. The Original witch. She found out you were trying to help your friends, her children, and  tried to kill you. You'd managed to escape her briefly but now she pursued you with a single minded intensity._

_"Do you honestly think you can hurt me? That you can beat me?" The voice came from right in front of you this time and you jerked your head up to find the witch bitch right in front of you._

_She gripped your chin in her hand. "You chose the wrong side." A thin, cold finger pressed against the middle of your forehead and pain pierced through your brain. You began to scream, a wordless sound filled with agony and pleading. You began to shake and still the pain came._

You sat up in the bed with a gasp as you realized the shaking was someone trying to wake you. Your head ached as you panted, trying to catch your breath. 

"Bloody hell, love," Klaus said, sounding relieved. "Never make that sound again. It was horrifying."

You ran a hand down your face. "Your mom was trying to melt my brain."

He blinked a couple of times and glanced to the door. You followed his gaze to see a worried Kol and Rebekah leaning in the opening. He waved them away. "Go. I have her."

He pushed a loose piece of hair behind your ear. "I believe I would have made a similar sound had Mother been melting my brain, as well. You're forgiven for scaring the lot of us."

"Oh, thank you. Because my main concern was how you all would react to _my_ nightmare." You rolled your eyes.

He chuckled. "There's our Y/N. Back to sleep, little witch."

He waited for you to settle and fixed the blanket over the top of you again. "Where's Elijah?" you asked quietly before he could leave the room. You'd tried not to, but you needed to know.

You didn't miss the smirk he tried to hide before turning back to you. "He is at the Grill speaking with someone who claimed to have information on Finn."

"Oh," was all you said. You were close with the whole family, but Elijah was the one you sought out when you needed comforting or were feeling lonely. You glanced at the clock surprised to find it only a little after midnight. 

"Would you like me to summon him? He will return home if you wish it, little witch," Klaus offered, a hint of teasing in his tone. They all knew you liked Elijah and, while they didn't outright make fun of you for it, they certainly found it amusing. "Or I could stay with you until you go back to sleep?"

Sleep was the last thing you wanted to do right now. "Actually, I think I'm going out," you said and tossed back the blanket. 

He didn't even try to hide his smile this time. "While the bedhead is sexy, you may wish to freshen up the rest of you, love. You look as if you've been sleeping in your clothes."

You threw a pillow in his direction causing him to laugh as he walked out the door, shutting it behind him. 

It didn't take you long to change your clothes and 'freshen up' as Klaus put it. Your hair actually didn't look half bad, surprisingly. You found keys and some money on the table by the front door. 

"Have fun. Don't be home too late," Klaus called from the living room. Rebekah and Kol both chuckled causing you to roll your eyes. You didn't live there, they just liked to think you did. And they were probably laughing because as far as they were concerned you were chasing after Elijah. And maybe you were a little, but you weren't getting back to sleep without seeing him.

***

When you arrived at the Grill, you spotted Elijah immediately. His eyes came to you as if he'd felt your presence and he frowned, a question in his eyes. You shook your head and held up a hand letting him know you were fine. He nodded when you gestured to the bar. He could come find you when he finished. You didn't want to interrupt his business. And you could really use a drink.

You sat at the bar and ordered your usual. The bartender handed you your drink and you took a bracing sip. Closing your eyes, you sighed in relief. 

"Long day?" a familiar voice asked from beside you. 

"Hello, Damon," you said with a small smile before you opened your eyes to glance at him. 

He, of course, was smirking at you. "Hello, Y/N. You know, it seems to me your life would be much simpler if you quit hanging out with the Originals."

You hummed and nodded slightly. "I suppose that is true. You know, though, it seems to me _your_ life would be much simpler if you quit drooling over Elena."

He narrowed his eyes. "I do not drool."

You shrugged one shoulder, but didn't address it further. You went to take another sip of your drink and he took the glass from your hand, setting it on the bar. You scowled at him. Giving you grief about your relationship with the Originals was one thing. Taking your drink was quite another.

"I'm serious, Y/N. Why do you hang out with them? You're smart, pretty, surely you can get some more mentally stable friends." His eyes looked over you as if he sincerely wanted an answer.

"Damon, there are times when I think, Damon's not so bad. He's a nice guy, he's funny, why is everyone always giving him shit?" You leaned toward him as you spoke and his smirk was back full force. He leaned toward you slightly. You looked between his eyes and his lips making him think you were going to kiss him. Then you sat up and grabbed your glass to down your drink.  "And then we have a conversation like this and I think, Oh, yeah. That's why." 

"Mr. Salvatore," Elijah said from behind you as he placed his hands on your shoulders. "Thank you for keeping Y/N company while I tended to my business."

Damon tilted his head and narrowed his gaze. "If you don't mind, Elijah. Y/N and I were having a moment. You're interrupting."

You signaled for another drink. At this rate you were going to need it. 

Elijah squeezed your shoulders lightly. You knew that signal. That meant he was about to say or do something he was fairly certain you wouldn't like and he didn't want you to react to it. You counted to ten slowly in your head and took a sip from your newly refilled glass. "I find that unlikely, Damon. Contrary to your experience with other women, Y/N isn't the sort to have moments with other men when she has a boyfriend."

Damon snorted. "Boyfriend? Since when?"

You weren't certain whether to share in Damon's curiosity or be annoyed he seemed unable to believe you had one. 

"Since now," Elijah snapped and grabbed your glass to carry it over to the table he'd been at before. 

You hopped off the barstool and gave Damon a little wave as he stared after the Original. "Bye Damon. Tell Stefan to give me a call." He nodded at you but kept his eyes glued to Elijah.

Elijah was already scowling at the drink in his hand by the time you made it to his table. Your glass sat across from him. You looked at him for a long moment, but he didn't even glance up. You snatched your glass from the table and slid onto the bench next to him. You bumped him with your hip. "Scoot."

He glanced at you in surprise. "Are we expecting someone else?" he asked even as he slid over. 

"Nope. I just want to sit next to my boyfriend."

His mouth opened and closed several times as he stared at you with wide eyes. 

You smirked as you sipped at your drink. You couldn't help the thread of disappointment you felt knowing he wasn't interested in you that way, but damned if you'd let it show. Finally deciding to put him out of his misery, you patted Elijah's thigh. "It's okay, Elijah. I was just teasing. Thank you for rescuing me."

He turned slightly in the seat so he was facing you and put his arm on the back of the bench. "Why are you here?"

You held up your glass without looking at him.

"Nice try. We have alcohol at home. Unless Niklaus and Kol have drunk it all, which I suppose is possible."

There it was. That word. _Home_. "You do know that I have an apartment, right?"

"What?" It was obvious from his tone that your statement confused him. 

"You all keep calling your house my home. And I realize I do practically live there, but I don't remember when that happened." You turned your glass in your hand. "Or when I became content to let it."

But that was a lie. You knew exactly when you quit protesting and practically moved into one of the guest rooms. It was the day you realized you loved the elegant Original sitting next to you. God, you were a fool. Maybe it was time for you to go to your own home for a change. Maybe it would give your poor heart a break.

"I should go, Elijah," you said after you downed the rest of your drink.

He snagged an arm around your hip and pulled you back against his side. "Not so fast, Y/N. We're not finished here."

You glanced up at him and found him looking at you much the way you had Damon earlier when you were teasing. You swallowed past the lump in your throat and sucked in a much needed breath. 

"What is it you need, Damon?" Elijah was clearly irritated but his eyes didn't leave yours as he spoke to the other vampire. 

A quick glance, showed Damon was indeed standing beside your table looking between the two of you. "The lady said she wanted to go. I suggest you let her."

Elijah pursed his lips and looked down briefly between turning all of his furious attention on your sometimes friend. "Mr. Salvatore, I have until this point, been tolerant of your interference in affairs that do not concern you. Y/N however is the exception. I assure you that your interference is neither necessary nor welcome. Now, might I suggest you leave in the most expedient manner available before I show you your own heart."

Damon gulped but to his credit he didn't immediately leave. Instead he looked at you. "Are you okay here?"

Elijah started to stand and you pulled him back down. You grabbed his face in your hands and slammed your lips into his before you could lose your nerve. He froze for just a moment. Just long enough to have panic flooding through you. As you were about to pull away, his hands grasped your head and his fingers wove into your hair. He turned your head slightly and took control of the kiss, deepening it. 

Your heart raced and you concentrated on savoring every moment, on remembering every detail of this kiss in case it never happened again. It wasn't until Elijah pulled back that you realized you had shifted so you straddled his lap. You were undoubtedly giving the rest of the Grill quite a show. Your cheeks heated and you pressed your forehead to Elijah's. 

"I believe we scared off your rescuer," he said with a chuckle and kissed your forehead. "Let's go home." 

The two of you untangled yourselves and stood. Elijah pulled some money from his pocket and tossed it on the table. Placing a hand on your back, he steered you out the door and into the crisp night air. He led you to his car and opened the passenger door for you. "We'll get the other car tomorrow."

You nodded but didn't say anything. You kept your gaze focused out of your window, occasionally sneaking glances at Elijah from the corner of your eye. What did all of this mean? He certainly wasn't saying anything, or even touching you anymore. Both of his hands were on the wheel as he drove you home.

You followed him into the house only to be met with the sounds of his siblings laughing. Normally the sound brought you joy, but for some reason, you had a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. The two of you exchanged a frown then walked into the living room.

"Well, you three are certainly enjoying each other's company," Elijah said as he straightened the cuffs on his jacket. 

Klaus grinned. "I see our little witch found you. But then I already knew that."

Your face burned. Surely he wasn't going to make fun of you _now._ Not here, in front of Elijah.

Elijah sighed. "What are you talking about, Niklaus?"

Rebekah grinned and tossed her phone to him. "Matt was working tonight." 

You glanced over to see a picture of you and Elijah kissing with you on his lap. You glanced up to his face only to find he wouldn't even look at you as he stared at the picture. Tears flooded your eyes and you dropped your head before they could see. "Good night," was all you said before hurrying away, the siblings laughter trailing behind you.

What a fool you were to think even for a minute he might want you the same way you wanted him. And to think the others were your friends. You were here because you served a purpose. They wanted you in the  house so they could keep an eye on you. That was all. You grabbed your duffle bag and filled it with your things. You couldn't fit it all, but you got the most important bits. The rest you could replace. 

You wiped away the tears that had leaked to run down your cheeks and took a breath before opening the door. If luck was with you, you could get out the front door without them noticing. Luck was apparently not with you. Elijah was leaning on the wall across from your room with his hands in his pockets and his head down. It jerked up when he heard your door open. He smiled when he saw you, then frowned when he saw the bag in your hand. "Where are you going?"

"Home." Your voice cracked as you said it. You tightened your grip on your bag as if it would give you some sort of confidence. Not likely.

He stepped forward until he was only inches away. You kept your eyes on his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes. "You are home," he said simply.

You shook your head. "My apartment."

"I see," he said. There was a long stretch of silence until he said, "Then let me come with you."

You looked up in surprise. "Why would you want to come with me?" You didn't want his pity but you couldn't seem to voice the thought. 

His hand hooked around the side of your neck as he looked into your eyes. "Haven't you guessed by now, Y/N? My home is wherever you are. If you want to live in your tiny apartment or this lovely, elegant home with my siblings, I want to be there with you."

"But you don't love me. You can't possibly," you insisted, trying to understand what he was telling you. 

"I've loved you since the moment you stood your ground with Niklaus. Your beauty attracted me, but your spirit captured me, Y/N." His eyes searched yours again. "In my thousand years, I have never been as terrified as I am right now. Please tell me that you'll be mine." He brushed his lips softly back and forth against yours. "Be my home."

Your bag fell to the floor with a thud and you wrapped your arms around his neck. You held him to you as you continued where you'd left off at the bar. His hands gripped your thighs as he lifted and you jumped up to wrap your legs around his waist. He sped you to his room, slamming the door behind you and locking it. You grinned against his lips and cast a silence spell. 

***

Kol scratched his head as he padded down the hall. He'd managed to pull on a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt but that was as fashion forward as he was getting. He still felt bad about hurting Y/N's feelings. Their teasing had been directed more at Elijah than her but she hadn't known that. His elegant brother had not spared his opinion on the matter the night before. Kol winced remembering the rather brutal chastisement they had all received. 

He tripped over something and scowled. A look back showed Y/N's duffle bag laying on the floor in the middle of the hallway. He frowned and peeked into her room to find it empty. He placed the bag inside the room and headed down to see if his siblings knew what was going on.

As he reached the foot of the stairs his phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. He grinned when he saw the text message. 

"What's got you so happy this morning?" Rebekah snapped.

"I thought after Elijah's lecture last night you'd be as foul-tempered as the rest of us," Klaus said and sipped his coffee.

Kol tossed his phone to his brother and headed into the kitchen as the other two read the text. 

_Y/N requests your pancakes and a large coffee. And blood for me. Apparently I'm bitey. She says all is forgiven if you deliver to my door in the next thirty minutes._

The siblings shared a grin knowing their favorite witch was now part of the family. Always and forever. 


	22. Happy Birthday - Damon Salvatore

You sat in a chair on your front porch, your feet propped on the railing in front of you. The book you were reading had sucked you in, but that didn't keep you from glancing up occasionally and surveying the town around you. 

You sipped your lemonade and shifted your position just a bit to get more comfortable. Today was the first day in months there was no supernatural drama to worry about. Well, none you were going to worry about anyway. Your phone was turned off and laying on the kitchen counter. If it was an emergency they'd come find you, you reasoned. You deserved a day off and today was the perfect day for it.

You'd been friends with Jenna and had come to Mystic Falls with her when she suddenly found herself caretaker of two teenagers. She'd been so grateful for your 'sacrifice' but in reality you'd been looking for a change of scenery anyway. Truth was you were a rather powerful witch that was far older than you looked. 

And it was a good thing you'd tagged along. Your intervention with the hybrid had kept your friend alive. He was more than willing to find another vampire for his ritual when you promised to do some work for him. You shook your head as you smiled, remembering Niklaus was rather disgruntled to learn that didn't mean you'd cater to his every whim. Then you'd kept Kol from being killed by Jenna's nephew. 

Somewhere along the way, you'd managed to befriend both sides of the supernatural drama that saturated this little town. You could leave at anytime, and you'd thought about it. But you'd been dreadfully bored before Mystic Falls. At least there was never any shortage of excitement around here.

"There you are, gorgeous," a smooth voice said and you peered over the top of your book. Damon Salvatore leaned against one of the posts on your porch, smirking in your direction. Your heart did its normal dance it did whenever he was around. "I've been calling for hours."

You arched a brow, determined to appear completely unaffected. "Day off, Salvatore. Remember those words coming out of my mouth yesterday?"

"Yes, but what's a day off without a drink at the bar with a few friends?"

You narrowed your eyes. "When you say this do you mean, hey, let's have a drink? Or do you mean, please come help me keep someone from killing Elena?"

He held up his hands in a gesture of innocence you didn't buy at all. "Just a drink, Y/N. Stefan will be there." There was a teasing lilt to his voice as he said the last. 

"I told you before, Damon, I don't like him like that." You and Stefan had gone out on two dates before deciding you were better off as friends. You were both longing for other people whether you wanted to admit that or not. He still wanted Elena while you pined for the elder Salvatore.

You stood with an exaggerated sigh. A drink actually sounded lovely, but he didn't have to know that. "All right. One drink."

He grinned. "Great." His smile slipped as you opened the screen door heading into the house. "Where are you going?"

You glanced down at your outfit. "I'm not wearing this. I don't even have shoes on."

He groaned making you roll your eyes. He was always so dramatic. You stepped inside and slid on a pair of strappy sandals, pulling the strap up over your heel. You grabbed a 3/4 sleeved top and slid it on over your tank top before grabbing your phone and slipping it in your pocket. 

Stepping out of the house, you shut the door behind you. "Was that minute long wait too much for you, Damon? Should I call Stefan of the hero hair to come save you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Y/N." You linked your arm with his as you walked. He shifted so his arm was around your shoulders and he tugged you against his side. 

"You're buying. Didn't feel like bringing my purse," you informed him as you draped an arm around his waist. You loved being like this with him. And if just for a moment you pretended he was yours, what was the harm?

He shrugged as if it didn't matter and it probably didn't. He'd just compel the drinks out of the bartender anyway. When you arrived at the Grill, Damon detached himself from you to open the door. You stepped inside only to be met with a loud shout. "Surprise!"

You blinked in awe and glanced around the room. "How did you know?" you finally asked. You hadn't celebrated your birthday in decades. 

"My fault I'm afraid," Jenna piped up. 

Of course it was her. She stepped forward and you embraced your red-headed friend. "Thank you, Jenna."

You made your rounds through the room, greeting your friends. Well, all but the Mikaelsons. It didn't escape your notice that they weren't part of the festivities. "I think you missed a few invitations," you said to Damon as you sat beside him at the bar. 

"Um...no. No, I didn't," he insisted and sipped his drink. "I still don't understand how you can befriend them so easily."

"Do you really want to have this conversation again?" you asked.

He glanced at you from the corner of his eye and shook his head. You told him once that you'd figured out how many people he and Stefan would kill over a thousand years and it surpassed what they'd laid on Klaus's doorstep. In truth, you'd just made up a number, but it worked and that was the important part. 

You sipped at your drink and chatted with people as they came by while Damon stayed right by your side making sure your glass was always full. It was a couple of hours into the festivities before you heard, "Look, Brother. A party. I wonder what the occasion is."

You grinned and hurried across the room to launch yourself at Kol. He laughed as he caught you and spun you in a circle. "Hello, birthday girl."

Understandably you and Kol had become incredibly close after you saved his life. "I thought you weren't coming?"

He leaned forward to speak in your ear. "And miss all the excitement? Perish the thought, Darling."

He passed you off to his brothers, who both hugged you as well only for you to end up with Rebekah's arm around your shoulder. When you turned back to Kol, Damon was there handing the Original a beer. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't invite your best friend, did you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Thank you, Damon." His words brought another thought to mind and you pursed your lips as you glanced around the room. You hadn't seen Stefan for ages. Or Elena for that matter. You hummed to yourself.

"Oh, no," Kol said drawing your attention.

You glanced at him with arched brows. "What?"

"You've got that look," he answered. 

"What look?" 

The group around you laughed. "The look that usually means there's going to be trouble," Klaus added his two cents with a smirk. 

You shook your head and fought a smile. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to visit the ladies' room." 

You headed toward the hall, arms crossed over your chest, looking for your two missing friends as you went. To your surprise there was a line in the hallway. "What's going on?" you asked.

"Door's locked," a girl you vaguely recognized answered.

Your gaze shifted to the door and there was that feeling again. You walked over to the men's room and pushed the door open. "Anyone in here?" you called. There was no answer. You gestured into the room with your head. "Use this one. I'll see about getting ours open."

The line of women hurried into the other restroom. Apparently they'd been waiting awhile. You studied the locked door again. You should go get an employee with a key. That's what you should do. Instead you chanted a spell and waved your fingers over the lock, smiling with satisfaction when it clicked open. 

You pushed the door open, stopping it with your hand before it could swing closed. You leaned against it with one shoulder and watched in amusement as Stefan and Elena struggled to put their clothes to rights. They glanced at you in unison and froze. 

"This isn't what it looks like," Elena argued. 

"I can explain everything, Y/N," Stefan said with wide eyes as he continued to tuck his shirt into his pants. 

"You two don't owe _me_ an explanation. I'm not the one here with a boyfriend." But oh did your heart ache for Damon. He didn't deserve this. 

Her eyes suddenly got wide, panicked. "You can't tell Damon. He'll flip out." She grasped your arm and you stared at her hand until Stefan pulled her away.

You shifted your gaze to the two of them. "I'm not going to tell him anything. Because when you two leave here, you're going to find him and confess. Do anything else, or tell him anything but the absolute truth and I will destroy you. Understood?"

Elena started to say something and Stefan slipped his hand over her mouth as he nodded at you with a small smile. 

You looked between the two of them one more time. Their behavior was odd even for two people just caught in a compromising position. You stepped back into the hall and let the door shut. 

"So how long do you suppose they had the bathroom tied up for?" The voice made you jump and you turned in surprise to find Damon leaning against the wall beside the door. He honestly didn't look upset at all. "I mean, did it not occur to them people might have to actually use the bathroom or what?"

You arched a brow. "You're taking this well."

He shrugged and draped an arm around your shoulders. "Let's just say things between Elena and I aren't what you think." A million questions flew through your brain as he steered you through the crowd. Before you could ask any of them, you arrived at the table where the Mikaelsons sat. "Stay here," Damon said and kissed your temple before disappearing.

"There's my girl," Kol said, pulling a chair over next to him. You sat, but your eyes followed Damon as he moved across the bar to talk to the band singing in the corner. "What's up with him?" Kol asked as he tugged you against his side. 

"Hold on a second," you said and your eyes followed Stefan and Elena as they reappeared from the back hall. They immediately separated. Stefan went to the bar and grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle while Elena made her way to Damon. She stood on her tiptoes and said something in his ear. He looked annoyed as he shook his head.

"Have a drink," Stefan said as he handed you a glass of your favorite alcohol. 

You hummed in acknowledgement before taking a sip. You finally tore your eyes away from Elena and glanced at Stefan. "I thought you were going to tell him."

"Don't worry about it. It's taken care of," Stefan said. 

You heard the amusement in his voice and frowned as you leaned against Kol once more. "It doesn't matter because he already knows. He was in the hallway when I left."

"Well, don't keep the rest of us in suspense," Rebekah said glancing between you and Stefan. 

You were prepared to answer when Damon's voice cut you off. "Hello, everybody." He was up on the little stage using the band's microphone. He shot a smile in your direction as he waited for everyone to quiet down. "As you know, we're here to celebrate the 24th birthday of the lovely Y/N."

You snorted a laugh. Kol glanced down at you with an arched brow. "If I'm twenty-four, so are you," you said causing the Original to chuckle before you turned your attention back to Damon. 

"Y/N, you are the reason we are all here. In this room. Together. You make us set aside our differences just to see you smile. And we made you a little something." He lifted his arm as if to signal someone then paused. "Oh, yeah. And I would also like to report that the women's bathroom is now fully functional as it is no longer being used for sex."

You choked on your drink as the lights went down and Kol patted you on the back as he laughed. 

"Damn it, Damon," Stefan muttered.

Once you quit choking you laughed. "Well, that's one way to make that announcement."

A video started playing on the wall across from you. All of your best friends were gathered together outside somewhere smiling and waving at the camera. Matt popped out to wave into the camera, apparently he was the one filming.

The image cut to Jenna and her radiant smile. "I guess I'll start. You came here for me, but also for yourself I think. This place suits you. You've saved me in more ways than you can ever know."

"Which means you saved me," Ric said off-screen and the image widened to include him. He sat behind Jenna, his arms wrapped around her with his hands resting on her belly. "And this little one, whoever they are."

Your hands flew up to your mouth and tears welled in your eyes. Jenna was pregnant.

"We already discussed it," Jenna said and smiled up at Ric, "and if it's a girl, we're naming it Y/N." 

Kol rubbed your back as the tears fell down your face. At least they were happy tears for once. 

"I can't believe you all kept that from me," you shouted into the dark to be met with laughter which died down quickly as Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie came onto the screen. 

"Hey, Y/N/N," Bonnie said with a wave. "You're older than us, but you've always been there helping us out. We just wanted to say thanks." All three girls said happy birthday before Matt passed the camera to Caroline. 

"Hey, it's me. Matt. But you know that. Anyway. Thanks for making sure some of us stay ourselves." He scratched the top of his head. "Well, you know what I mean."

Jeremy pushed him out of the way and he and Tyler popped onto the screen. "And for keeping some of us from making stupid mistakes."

"All right, children. Run along. It's time for the adults to talk now," Klaus's voice came from off screen and you glanced over to find him smiling at you. He gestured to the wall so you'd turn your attention back to the video. All the Mikaelsons were onscreen at once. 

"Oh, God," you moaned and Kol chuckled behind you. 

"Hello, Y/N," Rebekah yelled with a wave. "You saved my brother."

"You helped us all see other ways to accomplish our goals," Klaus added.

"We've had numerous discussions on topics I haven't had the pleasure of debating in years," Elijah said with a smile.

"And you're my best friend. But you knew that already." Kol hugged you from behind and kissed the top of your head as his counterpart talked on the screen.

"In short, Y/N/N, you're family. Always and Forever," Elijah said.

"So, even though Damon said this was supposed to be your present," Rebekah rolled her eyes as she made that announcement, "here's a key to our home. You're welcome anytime. Not that you didn't already know that."

Rebekah slid a key across the table to you and you snatched it from the surface and shoved it in your pocket. "Thank you," you mouthed to her. She smiled and nodded.

"But of course, that's not much of a present. And we do like to make grand gestures in this family, don't we?" Klaus said from the video. "So here's the rest of your present." He held up an envelope. "I bought your house from your landlord, love. It's yours now."

You sat there stunned for a moment before turning slowly to look at Klaus. He grinned at you. A real genuine smile, not a smirk. He slid the envelope across the table. "We all chipped in, love. Happy birthday."

"You bought me a house," you said, your voice low. You looked at the envelope then at all of them. "You bought me a house."

Rebekah waved her hand through the air. "Oh, who cares. It's not like we're not drowning in bloody money. It's our way of making sure you don't run off."

"Do you think she's had enough time to freak out about the house yet?" You heard from the video and turned back to see Stefan and Damon were now on the screen. It was Damon that had asked the question.

"Probably not, but this was supposed to be a short video," Stefan answered. "How do you want to do this?"

Damon winced. "I think maybe you better handle this first part."

Stefan nodded once and let out a long breath. "Elena and I...Elena and Damon..."

"Really, Stefan?" video Damon asked. 

You watched as Elena marched onto the screen and gave Stefan a long, lingering kiss. You were fairly certain there was tongue involved. 

"Guys!" Damon finally yelled. When they kept kissing he looked at the camera and shook his head. "This would be why you haven't seen me with Elena for the past several weeks. Yes, we kissed. Yes, I wanted her once upon a time. But that changed. It changed a long time ago if I'm honest."

Your heart pounded in your chest as your eyes stayed glued to Damon. Was he honestly saying what you thought he was? Could he possibly love you as much as you loved him? The tightness in your chest from the anticipation made it hard to breathe.

The camera zoomed in on him. "You see, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. Head over heels, crazy, insane, love." Your hands covered your mouth again as you tapped your feet on the floor in excitement. He'd said it. Damon Salvatore loved you.

He glanced down then back up. "But you know me, Y/N/N. In fact, I'm pretty sure you know me in ways no one else does. And knowing me as you do, there was no possible way you could love me back. There was no possible way I deserved you. So I avoided you. And drank. And got in a fight with your best friend because he wouldn't keep his paws off you."

You glanced back at Kol and he grinned as he gave you a nod.

"You can thank him for knocking some sense into me, actually. Look, I'm about to do something incredibly foolish and probably a little bit selfish but I can't help it. Just...have some pity on an old man and let me down easy, huh?"

With that the video turned off. After a moment the lights came up, starting dim and slowly getting brighter. You had intended to find Damon immediately but as it turned out, you didn't have to. He was right in front of you. On one knee.

You gasped and tears streamed down your cheeks as you did your best to wipe them away. You kept your gaze locked on his, not even glancing at the ring in his hands. It wasn't important. Only the man in front of you mattered. 

Damon gave you a rare, genuine smile. "I realize I'm skipping a whole bunch of steps here, but I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone. Marry me, Y/N/N. It doesn't have to be next week or even next year, just promise me somewhere in the future you'll be my wife. We can do the whole dating thing if you want, but wear my ring. Be mine."

You leaned forward and took his face in your hands. "You are 100% crazy, Damon Salvatore, but I love you, too. And yes, I will marry you." You pressed your lips to his and a cheer went up from the crowd around you.

You, however, heard nothing but Damon's declarations of love for you as he slipped the ring on your finger.  


	23. The Birthday Present - Stefan Salvatore

Lexi Branson was your best friend. You were human but knew all about the supernatural. You planned on turning one day but not until you were a couple of years older. At the moment you had just arrived in a little town called Mystic Falls. It was Stefan Salvatore's birthday and Lexi had dragged you along with her to visit. Actually, she declared you Stefan's present. 

Lexi had zoomed inside to freak out her friend and you waited on the front porch. You were anxious to meet the vampire your friend couldn't seem to quit talking about. Actually, she wouldn't quit going on about what a perfect couple the two of you would be. You rolled your eyes. Lexi could be a bit much at times.

The front door flew open and you spun to find Lexi grinning at you. A very confused, very handsome vampire stood behind her. "This is your present, Stefan. Happy birthday!" she announced.

Stefan took a tentative step forward and looked between the two of you. "When she says I'm your present she does not mean I am your dinner or a hooker. She merely thought we would get along. Clarify, Lexi," you said and held out a hand. "Y/N Y/L/N."

His lips twisted into a smile as he shook your hand. "Stefan Salvatore. Pleasure to meet you. Lexi, can I have a second?"

The blonde shrugged. "Sure." She shut the door leaving you on the porch once more. That girl was lucky you loved her.

After an eternity, that was really less than five minutes, Lexi was back, a disgruntled expression on her face. "Apparently there's an Elena," she grumbled before grasping your wrist and pulling you into the house. 

You were slightly disappointed as Lexi had done a lot of talking about Stefan, but you weren't surprised. The three of you stayed up talking for awhile before you couldn't keep your eyes open any longer. Besides the two vampires needed to catch up. Stefan showed you to a guest room and you crawled into the bed. You were asleep in minutes.

***

You woke suddenly in the morning, frowning as you blinked at the light coming in the window. "Hello, lovely," a voice said and you jerked your head toward the door. A dark haired vampire with striking blue eyes leaned against the frame. He tilted his head and looked you over with a smirk. "Do we know you?"

This had to be Damon. Lexi had warned you about him. "I'm here with Lexi for Stefan's birthday," you explained as you tossed the covers aside and sat up on the side of the bed.

His eyes sparked with mischief. "Lexi's here? I haven't seen her in ages."

"What the seventies? New York, maybe?" You couldn't help the bite in your voice. You weren't nice to people that hurt your friends. 

His eyes widened. "My. You really do know everything, don't you?"

You shrugged. "Just leave her alone, Damon."

"Now where's the fun in that?" he asked and zoomed off. 

***

Someone had determined that you were all going to the Grill for a party. It wasn't for Stefan's birthday but it happened to fall on the day just the same. As predicted, you and Stefan had been getting along famously. And honestly, it was fun to flirt with him with no expectations.

At the moment, the two of you were laying on the bed talking while you waited for Lexi to get out of the shower. You held Stefan's hand in both of yours while you looked at his huge daylight ring. "So you think we should go to this party, too?" he asked. 

You glanced up at him and shrugged. "I usually just go along with whatever Lexi wants to do. It's kind of nice having a vampire friend. I figure she'll protect me but how much trouble can there be at some little bar."

Stefan huffed a laugh and turned his hand to play with your fingers. He lifted your hand to look at your rings as you had done his. "It's a party Damon wants us to go to. That can't mean anything good. He must be up to something."

"Who cares?" Lexi said as she stepped from the bathroom, steam billowing out behind her. She had a towel wrapped around her. "What can he possibly do in a public place with all those people around him?"

Stefan dropped your hand and rolled off the bed to talk to her. You shoved down the little spike of disappointment that threatened to creep up.

"He knows how to keep a low profile. Believe me," Stefan said.

"Okay, fine. So he'll behave. One day a year I get you. One day that you're not brooding and existing in your own head. Though you'd have a lot more of those days if you and Y/N hooked up. She'd be good for you. Just saying."

You groaned and buried your face in the bed. Lexi certainly knew how to embarrass you. You heard Stefan sigh and kept your head down, not daring to look at him. 

"It's my birthday but if you two want to go, we'll go."

"Good," Lexi said. "Then quit your whining and go get ready."

"Fine," Stefan said as he started to back out of the room.

You lifted an arm in his direction. "Stefan! Don't leave me here. She's so embarrassing."

"Hey!" Lexi protested, but she smiled when Stefan returned to the bed and hauled you to your feet. 

"Come, fair Y/N. I shall rescue you from the treacherous Lexi," he announced as he swept you up in his arms and carried you out the door dramatically. You were laughing as he dropped you in front of your door with a bow. Shaking your head, you stepped inside to change.

It didn't take you long to put on the dress Lexi had insisted you bring with you. Probably because there wasn't much fabric involved. It stopped just above your knee with an open back and cutouts on both sides. You pinned your hair back then followed the sound of voices back toward Stefan's room. Lexi was not happy from the sound of things.

"I met Elena and you have some serious explaining to do, Stefan. She looks just like Katherine," Lexi yelled at the other vampire.

You knew you shouldn't eavesdrop but you couldn't pass up this opportunity so you lingered down the hallway where you could hear but hopefully wouldn't be discovered.

"It's not what you think," Stefan argued sounding much more reasonable than the blonde. "Yes, the resemblance drew me in, but that's it. Elena and Katherine may look the same on the outside but on the inside they are completely different."

"Oh, so Elena's not a raging bitch then?" Lexi piped up and you bit your lip to keep from laughing at her bluntness.

"No. She's warm, she's kind, she's caring, she's selfless and it's real."

"It sounds like you're in love with her," Lexi said softly. You swallowed past the lump in your throat and ignored the little tug at your heart.

"I thought I was, but..." he trailed off.

"But what?" Lexi asked her voice heavy with excitement. You could almost picture her bouncing on the bed. 

He sighed. "Then you brought me a present and now I'm not so sure. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," she all but squealed. You resisted the urge to join her. 

You backed up several paces and brushed your hand down your dress. You walked back toward Stefan's room, intending to enter this time. Your steps were quiet as your shoes were by the front door. Lexi always insisted you wear heels and you quite honestly hated them. 

You stepped into the doorway and smiled at the two friends. "You two ready to go yet?" you asked with a grin.

They both turned to look at you. Lexi grinned, her eyes lighting up and Stefan gaped at you with wide eyes. Seeming to snap out of it, he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I think we're ready. You look fantastic."

"Thank you," you said and gave him a little curtsey. You didn't miss the way his hand rested on your lower back as he steered you toward the door.

***

Lexi and Stefan were dancing when you saw Damon slip out the door. You'd been watching him all night and he was definitely up to something. You followed at a distance, keeping to the shadows. You didn't have a vampire for a best friend without picking up a few things along the way. 

When Damon came across a couple making out in an alley, you had to physically bite your lip to keep from crying out as he killed the man. He slammed the woman against the wall and you listened to him compel her. "You are going to stay right here next to your dead boyfriend until help comes. When the police ask you who did this, you're going to tell them it was a blonde with long hair wearing a black dress with silver details. That's who killed your boyfriend and it was traumatizing. I was never here."

He zoomed past you, never seeing you. Why was he trying to get Lexi killed? There had to be a way to save her. You contemplated going back to the Grill and getting her and Stefan but you were afraid you didn't have time. There was only one thing you could think of. 

You crept down into the alley. The girl was sitting with her back against the wall and her face buried in her knees. 

"Hey," you said softly.  

Her head jerked up and she looked at you, tears running down her face. "Are you here to help me?"

"Yes I am. We're just going to wait right here until the rest of the help gets here, okay?"

The girl nodded whimpering as she saw her boyfriend. You crouched down as you pulled out your phone. "Hey. Don't look at him okay? Just put your head down or look the other way." She nodded and buried her head against her knees again. 

You stood and typed out a text to Stefan. You kept it simple. _I need you. Now. Matter of life and death. Don't tell Damon. And don't bring Lexi._ And you attempted to give him basic directions. 

It wasn't long before you heard him call your name and you stepped into the light. "Down here."

He rushed to you and was by your side in an instant looking you over. His hand settled on your hip. "What's going on?" 

You gestured to the body and the woman beyond. "Damon," you said in a low voice. "He compelled her to think Lexi did it. Told her to point Lex out to the cops."

"What?" 

You simply nodded. "I'm sorry, Stefan. I didn't know what else to do."

You didn't realize you were crying until he pulled you against his chest and wrapped his arms around you. "It's okay. We'll figure this out. I've got an idea but I'm not sure it will work. My diet interferes with some of my gifts."

He moved over to the girl and crouched in front of her much as you had done earlier. He lifted her head so he could look into her eyes. "You were never here. You and your boyfriend got into a fight because he told you he was leaving town. You had a horrible dream that he was killed but none of it was real. You're going to go home, go to bed and when you wake up this will all be a bad dream. You won't remember any of us."

She nodded and stood, wiping the tears from her eyes as she stepped past the body and you as if you weren't there. "Think it will work?" you asked after she disappeared from your sight.

He sighed. "I don't know. But I hope so."

***

Right now, you were waiting in Stefan's room as you listened to him argue with Damon downstairs. Lexi had left town, leaving you behind after Stefan promised to see you home in a few days. You'd both spent the rest of the party disposing of a body. 

The brothers were screaming at each other and you stepped out of the room and over to the railing to look down at them. "Not that I want to encourage your behavior, Damon," you called out and they both froze to stare up at you. "But why don't you turn some random douchebag and blame it on him. Leave people you actually know alone. Just a thought."

With that you turned and went back in Stefan's room slamming the door behind you. The vampire himself joined you after only a few more minutes. "Well, Damon liked your idea," Stefan said, not seeming happy with that fact at all.

"Hey, I'm just trying to keep the people I care about alive."

"Yeah." He raked a hand through his hair as he gave you a small smile. "This wasn't exactly how I planned for my birthday to go."

You flopped backward on his bed, your arms stretched out above your head. "Well, it went exactly how I intended. This is my body disposal dress after all."

He hummed as he laid beside you and ran his hand up the side of your hip. "It does seem a waste of a perfectly lovely dress." Two fingers absently made soft patterns on the exposed skin at your side.

A tremor went through you and an ache built in your stomach. "What about Elena?"

"I'm tired of trying to talk her into a relationship," he admitted. "Besides my best friend brought me such a lovely present. It would be rude to give it back."

He grinned as he bent over you and captured your lips with his. When he pulled back, he studied you with dark eyes. You draped your arms around his neck and brought him back down. "Happy birthday, Mr. Salvatore," you said against his lips before kissing him once more.


	24. Take a Seat - Elijah Mikaelson

You woke slowly, unsure what had pulled you from your slumber. It didn't take long for you to realize that you were alone. A glance at the clock showed it to be just after three in the morning. You stretched your arms far above your head and arched your back as you groaned at the pleasant pain in your muscles. Remembering the activities that had overworked those muscles brought a grin to your face. 

Pushing the blanket aside, you climbed from the bed and quickly slid into your underwear before grabbing your boyfriend's shirt from the floor to put it on. You padded across the room to the door with a yawn. Your feet carried you to your destination without much thought. It was a path you'd traveled many times during the course of your relationship with Elijah. 

You leaned in the doorway of the room the Original used for his office. You squinted in the light that poured from the room and watched him as he worked. He was reading over some papers on the desk, occasionally stopping to jot down a note or two. It seemed that he didn't notice your arrival but you knew that was unlikely. All of the Mikaelsons were incredibly perceptive. To be fair, anyone probably would be after living for a thousand years. 

Finally, he sat everything down and glanced over at you with a tilt of his head. "What are you doing up, sweet heart?"

"You know I don't sleep well without you," you answered as you pushed yourself off the doorframe. You made your way across the floor to him enjoying the way his gaze took you in. 

He graced you with a lazy, sweet smile. "So attached to me already?"

You huffed a laugh. "We've been dating for nearly a year now, Elijah."

"Has it been that long?" He sounded genuinely surprised as he reached out to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you closer. His head rested against your side and you ran your fingers through his hair. 

You leaned forward and kissed him. "Losing track of time in your old age?" you teased. 

His hand slid from your waist and smacked your ass playfully. "Behave," he all but growled.

"How much longer are you going to be?"

He flipped through the papers on the desk. "Not terribly long. I have a meeting with the attorney tomorrow to take care of some things. I want to get through these before then."

You pouted but simply nodded your head in acknowledgement instead of saying anything. 

"Come, sit," he instructed as he pulled you onto his lap. He used one arm to pull you back so you were nestled against his chest. 

You shifted position so you were more comfortable and nuzzled against his chest, your eyes drifting shut as you enjoyed being so close to him. 

He pressed a kiss to your temple. "Comfortable?"

You nodded and made a noise of agreement.

"Good. You stay there and I'll be done in no time, sweet heart."

Minutes later, Elijah was leaned back in his chair, arms wrapped around you as he read over the paper in his hand. While he worked, you fell into a peaceful slumber, rousing only briefly when he finished and lifted you to carry back to his bed.


	25. I Wouldn't Do That - Kol Mikaelson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sister Reader

As the youngest Mikaelson sibling you held a special place in your siblings' hearts. You weren't naïve enough to think that was completely due to your status as the youngest. Certainly your level-headed personality had something to do with it. Your never ending desire to learn new things. Your love of shopping. Your artistic ability. That and the fact, you hadn't turned with the rest of them. You'd been late getting home, had seen the aftermath. Your parents were foolish enough to think you would be easy to subdue once you arrived. 

Perhaps, if you'd told them of your magical abilities they would have known better but it worked out in the end. Your magic had kept you alive and young all these years. You'd spent a thousand years following your siblings around, or at the very least, answering their calls for help. You knew your siblings loved you but you often wondered if it was you they loved or what you could do for them. Except for Kol. 

Kol and you were near inseparable. When you could get Niklaus to lay off the daggering anyway. When Kol had been killed in Mystic Falls, you left. For the first time, you did not respond to your other siblings' calls to return. But now, he was back. Your Kol was back. And so were you. Not that they knew that yet. 

You looked up at the building before you, memories of your last visit to New Orleans flashing through your mind. You'd always been rather fond of this city. You opened the door as you knocked. You rolled your eyes when you heard Nik shouting somewhere within. 

"Are you going to keep shouting or are you going to come greet your sister?" You asked in a perfectly normal tone of voice, knowing he would hear you. 

Not only did he appear, so did Elijah and Rebekah. Your sister got to you first and wrapped you in her arms, lifting you off the floor in the process causing you to laugh. "I missed you, too, Bekah."

"My turn," Elijah announced as he softly pushed her out of the way. His hugs were always firm and warm but more subdued, just like him. When you pulled away you turned to frown at Nik. 

"And what about you?"

His arms were crossed over his chest as he frowned at you. "You're only back because of Kol. Don't think we don't know it."

You rolled your eyes. "I was grieving, Nik. Just as I would have done with any of you. Since he's no longer dead. I no longer have to grieve. Convenient, isn't it?"

He huffed but dropped his arms so you could hug him. It only took a moment for him to return the gesture. "That's more like it."

"Are you visiting or staying?" Elijah asked and you turned to face him. 

You shrugged. "Depends on if I find a house I like or not. Where's Kol?"

"See?" Nik grumbled from behind you and you elbowed him in the ribs.

Elijah's lips twitched. "He is out with Davina at the moment. He should return shortly."

"Davina?"

"Yes. His little witch," Rebekah clarified and you narrowed your eyes. 

_ You _ were Kol's little witch. You would have to meet this Davina and determine whether you liked her enough to let her stay around or not. 

Nik chuckled behind you. "Careful, Rebekah. You'll make Y/N jealous."

You didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. "Would someone be kind enough to show me to a room? I'd like to freshen up."

"Come, I'll show you," Rebekah said and held out a hand for you to take. 

***

Two hours passed before you heard your favored brother's voice. You shouted his name as you ran down the steps. By the time you reached the bottom, he was there to meet you. He swept you up in a tight hug while you squeezed him back fiercely. Hot tears ran down your face. You thought you'd never get to hold him again. "I missed you so much." Your voice was little more than a whisper. 

Kol sat you back on your feet so he could look you over. He smiled and wiped your tears away with his thumbs. "Now, now, darling. There's no reason to cry. I'm here now."

You shoved against his chest. "Don't you ever do that again. It was horrible."

"I didn't enjoy it much, either." He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his side.  When he turned you, you found a young girl with dark hair and eyes watching the two of you closely. This must be the witch. 

"Who's this?" she asked looking between you and Kol.

"This is my sister, Y/N," Kol said. "Y/N, this is Davina."

You tilted your head and looked the girl over. She was cute. And absolutely Kol's type. You gave her a small smile before glancing up at your brother to find him smiling down at you. "I want to go for a walk in the Quarter. You coming?"

"Absolutely," he answered without hesitation.

"But Kol, we were going to--"

Kol cut his witch off. "We can do that later, all right?"

He didn't wait for a response before steering you out the door. 

***

When you returned, you stumbled into the house laughing. 

"I hope you two weren't out causing trouble," Elijah's voice drifted to you from the living room and you followed it. 

You pressed a hand to your chest in mock offence. "Us? We would never."

Kol just chuckled as he went over to pour himself a drink. Your eyes followed him to see the witch curled up on the couch. "Aw, Kol. I think she was waiting up for you. That's so sweet."

Kol pointed at you. "Behave."

You widened your eyes in faux innocence. "What?"

Kol narrowed his gaze. "Just...behave."

Elijah smiled as he stood. "I need a word with you, brother. If you'll excuse us, Y/N."

 You waved them away and took the seat he'd just vacated. You picked up the book he'd been reading and flipped to a random page. You'd read it several times yourself already so it wasn't as if you were going to spoil anything.  

"I'm not going anywhere," a voice said interrupting your reading. 

You glanced up in surprise. "You let us think you were sleeping. Naughty." You sat the book back on the table. "And whether you stay around or not is between you and my brother. I fail to see what I have to do with it."

She sat up, a frown on her face. "Kol is mine. I won't let you take him from me."

You tilted your head. "Is that so? You seem very sure about that. I've been by his side for a thousand years. Somehow I don't think you're going to change that."

Now she stood, hands fisted at her sides. Kol's girlfriend obviously had some issues. Of course what were the odds of someone dating him that didn't. Your brothers started to come back into the room, but stopped in the doorway.

"Davina, what are you doing?" Elijah questioned with a wary tone.

"She's trying to take him. She can't have him. I have to teach her."

Kol grimaced. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, darling."

She yelled as she thrust her hands forward. You held up one of yours and put up a barrier against her magic. She scowled in confusion and dropped her arms. You flicked your hand through the air and Davina flew up and over the couch to land on the floor behind with a thud. She wouldn't be hurt. Not truly. You'd only thrown her hard enough to knock the wind out of her. 

You strolled over to your brothers to find Elijah pinching the bridge of his nose. You kissed his cheek before turning to Kol. "She's cute, Kol. Crazy, but cute." You kissed his cheek as well before stepping past them to head up to your room. 

You glanced over one last time to see Kol helping Davina to her feet. "I think I better explain about our Y/N."

Elijah looked at you when he responded. "I think that might be a good idea, brother." 


	26. The Librarian -Klaus Mikaelson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut Warning

No one understood why you and Klaus Mikaelson were a couple. You were quiet, polite, some might even say shy. You were content to remain in the background and preferred not to be the center of anyone’s attention. Most people thought you were the perfect fit for your role as the town’s librarian.

You met the hybrid when you were walking home from work one day and he fell into step beside you. “Hello, love. Beautiful night.”

You glanced at him briefly before turning your attention back to the road in front of you. “Yes, it is, Mr. Mikaelson. Is there something I can do for you?”

His steps stuttered for a moment and you smiled. You did so like catching people off guard. “You know who I am?”

“You’ll find there isn’t much that happens in this town that I don’t know about,” you assured him.

“You are far more interesting than I thought you’d be,” his voice was so low you weren’t certain that he’d intended you to hear him.

You smirked in his direction. “You haven’t seen anything yet, hybrid.”

***

It had been three weeks since that day and you had seen Nik every single day since then. He came in when you were working. Waited for you to get off work and either drove you home or walked with you, depending on the weather. Coffee dates turned into dinners and nights spent in each other’s arms. Fully clothed, no making out, nights in each other’s arms much to your displeasure.

Despite Nik knowing nearly every one of your secrets, you still got the impression he was afraid to corrupt you. As if. The mere thought was hilarious. Nik was always teasing you about being a straight-laced librarian. The time had obviously come for you to take matters into your own hands.

You’d told Nik you’d be in meetings all day and arranged for one of your co-workers to take the last half of your shift. A quick jaunt home for you to change your clothes and you were now standing on Nik’s front porch. You straightened the thick frames of the glasses you didn’t need and smoothed your hands down your skirt before rapping lightly on the door.

Elijah answered and ran his eyes over you before smiling. “Niklaus is in his study. My siblings and I are all otherwise occupied this evening. Have fun.”

He stepped back to let you in and you patted his chest. “Thank you, Elijah.”

He nodded once before stepping out and closing the door behind him as he went. You wondered briefly if the other Mikaelsons actually already had plans or if Elijah just intended to see to it that they did. It didn’t really matter either way. The end result was the same.

You leaned in the doorway of Nik’s study and watched the muscles of his back flex as he painted the large canvas in front of him. “I thought you were working,” he said after a moment without turning to look at you.

You hummed in agreement. “There are more important things in life than work, Nik. But you know that already.”

He tilted his head as he examined the painting in front of him. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he cleaned his brush before setting it and the paint he held to the side. Only then did he turn to face you.

His movements stilled as he took you in. “What’s all this, love?”

You stepped away from the doorway, swaying your hips slightly. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips as his gaze shifted to take in your four-inch heels. His eyes moved slowly up your form, taking in your bare legs. Your plaid skirt flared at the bottom and would have looked rather conservative if not for the lacing that ran up both sides. You’d paired it with a white blouse and short leather jacket. “This is as conservative as I get. Do you like it?”

“You could say that,” he answered and swallowed. To this point he’d only ever seen you in jeans and various tops.

You strutted a couple of more steps in his direction. “I just knew you’d appreciate the heels. You seemed the type.”

His brows lifted. “Do I?”

You nodded and made a sound of agreement.  You turned to walk across the room and pour him a glass of whiskey. His eyes were still on you when you turned and made your way back to him. After handing him the glass, you steered him toward the couch in the room. He sat and placed the drink on the table beside him. “What are you up to, love?” he asked.

“Have I ever mentioned that I’m rather impatient when it comes to getting what I want?” You reached up and let your hair down as you spoke. You mussed it with your fingers putting it into a more natural state.

“I don’t believe you have,” he answered. “And what is it you want, Y/N?”

You tossed your glasses onto the table next to his drink and stepped out of the heels. You closed the little distance that remained between you and teased your skirt up as you straddled his lap. His hands immediately went to your waist. “Well, if it’s not already obvious, I want you, Nik.”

You leaned forward and captured his lips with your own. His fingers dug into your hips as he returned the gesture eagerly. As you nipped and sucked at each other’s lips, his hips rolled up into yours and you gasped. You’d foregone undergarments as part of your seduction plan and the rough denim of his jeans rubbed against your exposed center.

You repeated the motion as you continued to kiss him. His hands moved from your waist to push the jacket from your shoulders. You let it fall to the floor before tangling your fingers in his hair as he began to unbutton your blouse. His lips moved from your mouth to trace your jawline and move down your neck. It didn’t take long for his kisses to become love bites and you were certain you’d be bruised in the morning. He kept his lips moving across your skin even as the blouse joined your jacket on the floor. His hands wrapped around your ribcage as his thumbs caressed the underside of your breasts. A jolt of pleasure went through both your nipples at once and you gasped.

It took a moment, but you eventually realized that Nik had stopped moving. You opened your eyes and frowned at him only to find his eyes locked on your chest. You glanced down and smirked as you realized what had him so entranced. “Not what you were expecting?”

“That’s an understatement, love.” His thumbs brushed against the bar piercing you wore in each nipple.

The sound that left your mouth was something between a gasp and moan. He grinned at you while you shifted in his lap. “Oh, this will be fun,” he said, his voice deeper, rougher than it had been before.

In one fluid movement he stood from the couch and shifted his hold on you so his hands were cupping your bare ass under the skirt. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he sped you to his room and dropped you on his bed.

You laughed as you bounced, the sound fading as he crawled up the bed, boxing you in as he hovered over you. “You never cease to amaze me, Y/N.” He pressed a surprisingly soft kiss against your lips.

“You haven’t seen anything yet, hybrid,” you teased as you grasped his shirt in your hands and tugged him forward.


	27. Hiking - Klaroline

Caroline Forbes needed a break. Every time she turned around there seemed to be another crisis or more drama that needed to be fixed. And it couldn’t be typical teenage drama. No, that would be too simple. Instead it was vampire drama. Hybrid drama. This was so not how she imagined her life would turn out.

The morning had been spent fighting with Elena. As much as Caroline loved her friend, it seemed that Elena could do whatever she wanted while the rest of them were judged for every action, every mistake, and every feeling. Pretty much anything they did that didn’t fit with Elena’s vision of how things should be was wrong. It was getting tiresome.

“So what if I like Klaus?” Caroline muttered to herself as she plucked a colorful leaf from a tree as she walked through the woods. “She’s with Damon and look what he’s done. Look what he did to me. Oh, but we all just conveniently forget that, don’t we?”

She sighed knowing it would do no good to try and make Elena see her point of view. She arrived at the peak of the hill she’d been climbing faster than she meant to. Damn vampire speed. So much for a slow, leisurely hike. A large boulder sat near the peak and Caroline pulled herself onto it to look out over the view below. It was simply gorgeous this time of year. 

“So, you like me, do you, love?” Klaus’s familiar accent ran over her, pulling a smile from her in spite of her annoyance at being disturbed.

“Who said that?” she asked glancing at him over her shoulder. “I certainly didn’t.”

“You certainly did.” He grinned then flashing those dimples that never failed to make her weak in the knees. “I heard you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “But that was ages ago. Have you been stalking me?” She feigned anger, unwilling to let him win so easily.

He gave a little shrug completely unmoved by her accusation. “I wouldn’t say stalking. Let’s call it keeping an eye on the things that matter to me.”

Damn it. That was good. The little resolve she had left began to melt with his words. Deciding to do what she wanted for once without worrying about how anyone else would react, she patted the stone beside her. “It would be easier to keep an eye from up close, wouldn’t it?”

He grinned wider than she thought possible as he sat beside her. “It certainly would, love.”


	28. Smirks, Thighs and Apple Pies - Damon Salvatore

You’d awoken early, well early for you anyway, with a yearning to bake. Fall was well and truly upon you. The brightly colored leaves and crisp air always had you rolling out dough and whipping cream. A quick search of your boyfriend’s kitchen revealed everything you needed to make fresh apple pie. 

You dug out the ingredients and lined them up on the counter. The sleeves of your oversized sweater kept getting in the way and you rolled them up to keep them clean. You got to work and it didn’t take long for the intoxicating smell of warm apples and cinnamon to fill the air.

“Well, whatever you’re up to smells heavenly.” Damon’s rich voice flowed over you and you glanced up to find him leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest. His usual smirk was on his lips as he ran his eyes over you.

“Apple pie,” you told him before turning your attention back to the task before you.

When you padded down to the kitchen this morning you’d worn sleep shorts and thick socks with your sweater. It didn’t take long before Damon’s body pressed against your back. He ran his hands along the bare skin of your thighs while he kissed down the line of your throat. “I love it when you smell like spices,” he whispered into your skin causing a tremble to run through you.

You sucked in a breath as your heart sped. “Behave, Salvatore. I’ve got pies in the oven.”

He wrapped his heavy arms around your waist and propped his chin on your shoulder. “All right, sweetheart. What can I do to help?”

You turned your head to look at him in surprise. “You seriously want to help?”

“Hey, I’ve got skills.”

That was true enough, but having skills and volunteering to help were two different things. Of course, the faster you finished your baking the faster the two of you could focus on each other. There was one thing he could do that would be helpful with both of those endeavors.

“You ever made whipped cream?”


	29. Coming Home - Elijah Mikaelson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by the song Coming Home by Skylar Grey

The witches of New Orleans forgot one very important thing when they began to meddle with the old magics and rituals they didn’t completely understand. 

You. 

An Original vampire turned with your husband a thousand years ago. Even then it had been whispered that the two of you were soulmates. Destined to be together for an eternity as it turned out. But that bond had consequences the Original witch hadn’t foreseen when she wove her treacherous spell. 

Though all the Mikaelsons were loyal to one another, your loyalty knew no bounds. Not only with your husband but his siblings as well. Your need to protect your family had turned you almost feral on more than one occasion with only your Elijah being able to center you and keep you from destroying the world around you. There was a time when you were the most feared amongst them. There was no length you wouldn’t go to, no line you wouldn’t cross to protect your family.

And you seemed to have a preternatural sense for trouble brewing on the horizon. But that hadn’t been enough to save you all those years ago. Mikael needed you out of the way and the witches wanted all the Mikaelsons gone, so they’d come to an agreement. You’d been trapped, subdued and locked away deep in a crypt in one of New Orleans many cemeteries. Bound and hidden with magic, you’d been vaguely aware of the world passing around you. Of time ticking, oh so slowly away.

Until the day the spell weakened. At first, it was subtle, barely noticeable, but every day it seemed that you had more freedom. And then you were free. The crypt lay in a pile of rubble behind you and you resisted the urge to laugh. Now was not the time. You had witches to kill and a family to find. 

It didn’t take you long to locate a witch. This was New Orleans after all. You smiled at her and tilted your head as you looked her over. As much as you wished to simply destroy every witch you encountered, not all of them were self-serving evil creatures. Just most of them. 

“I don’t think we’ve met,” the other woman said, her voice hesitant. 

“It is unlikely unless you are far older than you appear. Tell me, witch. What know you of the Mikaelsons?” 

A sharp pain pierced your head as she cast her spell. It had your knees buckling temporarily but pure rage drove you forward. One quick movement had her heart in your hand. More of her kind emerged from the shadows and you moved through them with quick precision. “Fools,” you snarled as you grasped the last witch by the neck. Her fingers clawed at your hand as you pulled her forward and sunk your teeth into her neck. 

Your eyes nearly rolled back in your head as you drank the sweet elixir from her veins. It had been far too long. And to think, if they had used a different spell to contain you, you would have been too weak to fight them. Irony at its best. 

You left the bodies where they were, more interested in sending a message to the rest of the magic population of the city than in being caught. The sights around you had changed but not to the point you were unable to find your way to your former home. A cold rain began to fall as you prowled the streets. It didn’t take long for you to arrive at the Abattoir, but you kept your distance and observed. 

Your family wasn’t here. There were too many vampires roaming about for one thing. For another you didn’t feel them. They were nearby, but not here. When a lone vampire made his way to the streets, you followed him a short distance before grabbing him. He tried to fight but you simply kept your hand pressed to his chest so he was pinned to the wall. 

“Are you finished?” you asked with a raised brow.

“Who are you?”

“Where are the Mikaelsons?” You had no intention of answering his question but he would answer yours, one way or another.

“Who’s asking?” 

You curled your fingers, digging the tips into his flesh. One quick movement was all it would take to rip out his heart just as you’d done to the witches. “Mikaelsons?”

“The plantation outside of town. It used to be the governor’s place.”

Interesting. You knew the house. Had been there more than once before your imprisonment. You considered letting the man go, but decided against it. He was so uncooperative after all. His heart splashed in a puddle at your feet before you flashed away.

***

The house was dark, empty, and for a moment you worried you had been led astray. You met with no resistance as you entered the house and it didn’t take long for you to ascertain that your family was simply out of the house for the moment. Their scents were everywhere. Well, Niklaus, Elijah and Rebekah at any rate. And…a wolf? Two wolves, perhaps? Odd.

You located the kitchen and used the bar of soap to scrub the blood from your hands. A bath was in order but first, the blood. When you were mostly clean, save some discoloration under your fingernails, you headed up the stairs. Your bare feet sank into the carpet and you trailed your fingers along the bannister. In moments you found yourself in Elijah’s room. A quick search and you were in possession of one of his shirts and a pair of loose pants. You were unfamiliar with the material, but it appeared comfortable enough.

After ascertaining how the shower worked, you washed, feeling clean for the first time in nearly a century. You dressed in Elijah’s clothes then sat on the stairs to await the return of your family. When the door opened you stood, your hand grasping the railing to give you strength. There they were. Klaus, Rebekah and, most importantly, your Elijah. A visibly pregnant brunette was with them, Elijah’s hand resting on her back. Your eyes narrowed at the familiarity, but you remained silent. 

It was Rebekah who spotted you first. Her laughter faded and her eyes grew wide. Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp and tears pooled in her eyes. Your own teared up in response.

“What the devil is wrong with you, Rebekah?” Klaus snapped as Rebekah had some to a sudden stop in front of him. He followed her gaze until he too found you. His jaw went tight as a tear rolled down his cheek. 

Elijah’s attention had been drawn by Niklaus’s exclamation and he glanced back at his younger siblings. His brow furrowed in concern as he turned to see what had captured their attention. His hand immediately fell away from the brunette as he took a step forward. “Y/N.” Your name was little more than a breath on his lips. 

“My love,” you responded, the tears now flowing freely down your face. 

In a blink, Elijah was in front of you. His hands cradled your face as his thumbs wiped away your tears and his eyes ran over every feature. “You’re here.” His brow furrowed again as he snatched his hands away and took a step backward. “You can’t be. This is a trick.” His voice broke and your heart along with it. 

It pained you to see the ever stoic man so uncertain. You reached out to touch his face and he leaned away. You closed your eyes and sucked in a breath before opening them again. “It’s me, Elijah. I’m free.”

“What do you mean free?” Rebekah asked as she moved closer to the stairs. “You died. We all saw it.”

Your gaze darted between the three siblings and you shook your head. “No. I was captured and imprisoned in a crypt here in the city. The magic lost it’s hold and I escaped.” You focused your attention solely on your husband. “I came home to you.”

He shook his head again, took another step away from you. “It’s not possible. It can’t be.”

“Elijah—” Klaus started only for his brother to cut him off. 

“No. It can’t be her. She can’t be here,” he yelled, his hands fisted at his sides. 

“Why not?” you asked, quietly.

“Because if you are my Y/N, then I failed you far worse than I ever imagined. Your death was a hard enough burden to bear but the thought of you imprisoned for a hundred years while I did nothing to save you is too much.” Your heart had never felt as heavy as it did as you watched your husband sink to the steps beneath him and drop his head into his hands. His shoulders heaved as he sobbed. 

The sound tore at you and you closed the distance between you. Your arms wrapped around him from behind while you tried to quiet him with comforting noises. When his tears had subsided somewhat you moved around so you could see his face. You cupped his face in your hand while his eyes followed your every movement. You smiled though you still shared his pain. “You could never fail me, Elijah Mikaelson. Even if I remained in that crypt for a thousand more years, it would never be your failure, my love.”

His dark eyes studied you as you comforted him and you could see the hope building in them. You kissed him then. A soft press of the lips. A promise of more later. A touch you’d been waiting a hundred years for. 

“Y/N?”

Your smile grew as you nodded your head. “It’s me, Elijah. I’m home. I’m here.”

His arms wrapped around you and pulled you to him. If you’d been human you would have suffered at least a broken rib or two. But you were made sturdier than that and simply returned the gesture with the same strength and love as he poured into you. “You came home to me,” he said finally.

You pulled back to look at him and ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. “Always, my love. Always and forever.”


	30. Talk to Me - Niklaus Mikaelson

You were annoyed. Maybe that was the wrong word. Frustrated? Fed up? Angry? Displeased. That was the word. You were displeased with none other than one Niklaus Mikaelson. The two of you had been doing this flirtatious dance since he came to town.

Recently that flirting had become more serious and you’d agreed to a date. He rescheduled at the last moment saying something urgent demanded his attention. That was fine. You weren’t about to give him shit for taking care of his business. But this…well, this just wouldn’t do at all.

You had come over intending to be waiting when he got home. You let yourself in as you always did only to find that he’d beaten you home. In fact he’d been home for some time if what you were seeing was any indication. Your gaze ran over the vacated dining table. The candles still burned in the middle surrounded by fine china and wine glasses. In the other room, a fire crackled away offering a warm backdrop to the scene. Either Klaus was having romantic dinners with his sister or his urgent business was a date with someone other than you.

Damn it. You should have known better. You did know better. It was why you put him off for so long. You cared more for him than you should and you knew he would break your heart. At least he’d taken care of it early before you really became invested in him.

You turned your head to listen as voices drifted in from the other room.

“Listen, Hayley, I’m done playing. No more games.”

That was enough for you. Hayley was that wolf that Tyler Lockwood brought back with him. She’d done nothing but cause trouble but as far as you knew, she’d left town. What was she doing back here and with Klaus, nonetheless? You shook your head. It didn’t matter. You picked up a half full glass of whiskey from the table. You threw the alcohol back and relished in the burn as it ran down your throat.

You left as quietly as you’d come in. After all, you wouldn’t want to interrupt his date.

***

Klaus growled as he got your voicemail once more. That was the fifth time today. You always answered when he called. Surely you weren’t angry with him for canceling your date. When he’d called, he’d gotten the impression you understood. That was one of the things he liked the most about you. You were laidback and undemanding. Being with you was peaceful. And there was no question Klaus needed more peace in his life.

“Rebekah,” he snarled when his sister walked past the door of his study.

She stepped backward and looked at him with an arched brow. “Did you need something, brother?”

“Have you heard from Y/N today?” he asked.

Rebekah smirked. “Already not talking to you? Poorly done, Nik. I think that may be a new record for you.”

He clenched his teeth as he bit back a snarl. “Is that a no?”

She shrugged. “I haven’t heard from her since she texted to inform me that you were an ass and asked if I would like to get lunch. I was just on my way out in fact.”

He blinked in irritation. “Did she happen to mention why I’m an ass?”

“I didn’t bother asking. It’s not as if it came as any great surprise.”

Klaus stood and closed the distance to his sister in two long strides. “Where is this lunch you’re supposed to be heading to?”

She took a breath and looked him over. “Do you truly care for her, Nik? This isn’t just one of your games is it?”

“No games, Rebekah. Y/N is too important for that. I need to talk to her.” Ordinarily he’d cringe at the plea in his voice but not this time. He needed his sister to see how sincere he was.

“I was going to meet her at the Grill. She’s probably already there.”

Klaus grabbed her by the upper arms and tugged her forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you.” He hurried for the door.

“If she asks, you read my messages. I didn’t tell you anything,” Rebekah called after him.

***

You tapped your fingers on the side of your glass as you waited for Bekah to make her appearance. The two of you had become quick friends when she first came to town. You weren’t about to give her up just because her brother was being an ass.

You looked up with a smile when someone took the seat across from you. The smile quickly faded when you saw your least favorite hybrid instead of his sister.

He grinned and you dropped your gaze away. The man’s looks were lethal, especially when he flashed those dimples or his puppy dog eyes. The problem was that he was far too aware of it. “You haven’t answered my calls all day,” he finally said to break the silence between you.

You glanced at him before turning your gaze back to the glass in your hand. You had gone all morning without talking to or texting the hybrid. It was a streak you intended to keep up for as long as possible.

He reached over and took your hand in his, pulling it closer to him. The finger of his other hand traced across the lines on your palm. “Talk to me, Y/N.” He was literally pouting and you barely resisted the urge to roll your eyes. Instead you just stared at him.

Finally, he dropped your hand and leaned back with a sigh. He pushed a hand through his hair. “If you don’t tell me why you’re so angry, I can’t fix it, love.”

You pulled your phone out of your pocket and started scrolling through your notifications. That only lasted a couple of minutes before it was snatched from your grip. Klaus slid it into the pocket of his jacket. He simply smiled at your glare. “You may have it back after you speak to me.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and rested them on the table. Your expression remained as neutral as possible.

Something about the moment made him realize that you weren’t just giving him grief. His expression shifted from mild annoyance to concern. He shifted in his seat and squared his shoulders as if preparing himself for a blow. “If this is about me canceling our date, Y/N. you must know that was the last thing I wanted to do. I waited far too long for you to say yes.”

You huffed a laugh at that. “Yes, I’m sure you were beside yourself.”

His brow furrowed as he tilted his head to look you over.

You smacked the table with the palm of your hand as if you’d just remembered something. “Oh, that’s right. It was Hayley you were beside. I nearly forgot.”

Standing abruptly, you made straight for the door. Leaving him gaping after you.

***

This went on for days. He’d call or text you and you’d ignore him. He would show up wherever you were at and you’d act as if he didn’t exist. Then everything went quiet. No texts, no phone calls and no visits. Rebekah finally called you and begged you to speak with him.

“I know you’re upset with him, Y/N but he’s beside himself. I haven’t seen him this way in centuries. He truly cares for you,” she assured you.

You sighed as you thought it over. As much as you hated to admit it, you did miss him. Even when you weren’t talking to him, you got to see him and hear from him. Now you’d done neither in three days and you were a little lonely, to be honest.

“It’s not what it seemed like,” she added. “Just let him explain.”

“I’ll think about it.” You hung up as you grabbed your purse. You were afraid if she warned him you were coming, he’d come up with some lie to placate you. If you were going to do this, you wanted to talk to the real Klaus. And you needed to look him in the eye when you did it.

***

Rebekah opened the door when you knocked and immediately pulled you into her arms. “Thank you, Y/N.” She turned to yell for her brother and you placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

“Where is he?”

“His study. He’s been holed up in there for days.”

“Has he eaten anything?”

She grimaced. “I’m pretty sure he’s made up of pure alcohol at this point.”

You headed for the kitchen instead of his study, dropping your purse off on the table on your way by.

“What are you doing?” Rebekah asked as she watched you put together a plate.

“Feeding the hybrid.”

Her eyes followed you as you finished the sandwich and placed some chips on the plate. You warmed up a blood bag and emptied the contents into a glass. Grabbing the glass and the food you turned only to find your way blocked by your friend.

Her lips twisted into a smile. “You love him, too.”

You arched a brow but said nothing. When you continued forward, she stepped to the side out of your way.

“You do. You’re mad at him and you’re still taking care of him.”

You simply sighed and gestured to the closed door in front of you with a nod. “Would you mind opening the door then getting lost, Bekah?”

She grinned but when she tried to open the door, she found it locked. She rolled her eyes. “Seriously?” She knocked harshly.

“Go away,” Klaus yelled.

Rebekah made to knock again.

“I got this,” you assured her. Your gaze followed her until she was out of sight. As your hands were still full, you kicked at the door in place of knocking.

“Damn it, Rebekah. Leave it alone,” he snapped.

“It’s not Rebekah.” You only raised your voice a bit, knowing he’d be able to hear you even over the music he had playing.

Sure enough, the music shut off and sounds came from inside the room as he did who knows what. When the door was flung open, he stood on the other side looking at you with wide eyes. His hair was a mess and it was obvious he’d had a hard few days. “Y/N,” he breathed then stepped aside to let you in.

You held up the food and blood. “Rebekah said you haven’t eaten.”

“Is that why you came here? To make Rebekah feel better?”

Bitterness laced his voice, but he took the blood and sipped just the same. You took a breath. “There are some things I need to say. I’d appreciate if you gave me the chance to say them.”

“Yes, just as you gave me a chance to explain myself.”

He turned away from you to stare at a painting as he drank the blood. You leaned against the table behind you. You ran your eyes over him, taking in the slump of his shoulders. This may be the only time you could remember seeing him look anything other than completely sure of himself. Your gaze shifted to the floor as you toed the carpet. “I fell in love with you, you know.”

You knew he was looking at you now, but you kept your eyes down, not sure you’d be able to get through this if you met his gaze.

“Would you—” He cleared his throat. “Would you repeat that?”

The corner of your mouth kicked up in a smile. You pushed yourself off the table and wandered through the room to look at the art as you talked. “Everyone hated you, but I admired how straight forward you were. You were up front about what you wanted and what you’d do to get it from the beginning.” You glanced at him with a smile. “Myself included.”

Your attention shifted back to the art in front of you though you’d seen it all before. “That’s why I never took you seriously when you flirted with me. I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because you had the power to break me. And if I surrendered to what I wanted and you were only passing the time, that’s exactly what you would have done.” You swallowed past the lump in your throat. “I couldn’t agree to date you until I was certain you were serious about me. Us.”

“I am,” he said and you turned to face him. His gaze pierced through you, begging you to believe him.

“I know that. I do.” You sighed. “That night I came here intending to wait for you to get home. I thought even if we didn’t do the whole date maybe we could at least have a drink and cuddle in front of the fire. But when I got here, I saw the remnants of your dinner on the table and the fire burning in the background. Then I heard you talking to Hayley and I left.”

He took a step toward you. “Why didn’t you say something? Yell at me? Anything.”

You shrugged. “I was afraid to, Klaus. I was afraid you’d tell me that you picked her and everything was a mistake. It was safer to just not talk to you.”

Tears stung your eyes and you shifted your gaze away from him. When his hand cupped the side of your face, you leaned into his touch. He lifted your head so he could look into your eyes. “Katherine was trying to kill Hayley before she could tell me what she knew about her whereabouts. I was protecting her so I could get the information I needed. The dinner we ate was actually the one I’d arranged for you. Absolutely nothing happened with her. She made it clear she wouldn’t have been opposed to it but she’s not my type.”

“She’s pretty.”

He hummed in agreement. “And annoying, deceitful, bitchy…shall I continue? Besides, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She couldn’t possibly compare. I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t just talk to you. I just couldn’t bare to lose you. Not when I’d just gotten to call you mine.”

He chuckled and leaned closer until he was only a breath away. “I’ve been yours since the moment I saw you. And you’ll never lose me, Y/N. I promise.”

You closed your eyes, prepared to feel his lips on yours. When it didn’t happen, you frowned.

Klaus laughed and kissed your cheek. “First, love, I want you to repeat the very first thing you said when you started this conversation. I asked you to repeat it before and you ignored me.”

Heat flooded your face. “What thing might that be?”

His growl was a rumble deep in his chest. “Y/N.”

You decided to take pity on the hybrid and grinned as you grabbed his face in your hands. “I love you, Niklaus Mikaelson.” You tugged him forward and slammed your lips into his.


	31. Not Yours - Elijah Mikaelson

Exhaustion pulled at Elijah’s muscles as he trudged into the house. It had been a long day of wrangling his brother and making reparations for his mistakes. The only thing that kept him going was the thought that you would be waiting for him at the end of the day.

As the door slammed shut behind him, he stopped himself before calling for you. Something was wrong. Beyond the fact you didn’t meet him at the door, it was unnaturally quiet. And…was that blood? Elijah inhaled deeply. Your blood to be precise.

A growl rose from deep in his chest but he bit it back. The smell wasn’t strong enough for you to be in any danger of bleeding out. He followed the normally intoxicating aroma through the house. Now, it made a knot of worry settle in his chest.

He paused in the doorway of the dining room, his eyes meeting yours before darting over to the man holding you captive. “Gregory.” His tone dripped with distaste. The vampire was little more than a peon grabbing for power that wasn’t his. Elijah had convinced Niklaus to show mercy and spare the younger vampire. Obviously, that had been a mistake.

“Hello, Elijah,” the man said with a grin that showed far too many teeth. “I thought you might be more amenable to the request I made earlier if I had something to bargain with.”

Barely contained rage simmered urging Elijah to defend his mate. When he glanced back to you however you rolled your eyes to express your boredom with your current circumstance. Obviously, you didn’t consider Gregory much of a threat. The corner of his mouth kicked up into a smirk before he could stop it. God, he loved you.

Turning his attention back your captor, the small smile quickly slipped away. “Why do I smell my wife’s blood?”

“Thought I’d help myself to a snack is all. But don’t worry, I was respectful. Put it in a cup and everything.”

The vermin gestured to the table beside him where one of your favorite teacups rested. Dark red blood filled the cup, some spilling over onto the saucer beneath. The fool actually reached for the it then, prepared to sample that which was not freely given.

Elijah launched himself at the other vampire and pinned him to the wall. “That doesn’t belong to you.” His voice was low, fierce. Before Gregory could even respond, Elijah ripped the heart from his chest, letting body and heart fall at his feet.

He was at your side in a blink. “Are you all right, Y/N?”

You smiled at him and placed a hand against the side of his face. “Of course.”

Catching sight of the bandage on your arm, he grabbed your arm and turned it so he could examine it. “Is it deep?” he asked.

“You can heal me,” you answered with a little shrug as if it didn’t really matter. And to you it didn’t. As a member of the Mikaelson family you had experienced more than your fair share of vicious enemies and life-threatening encounters. You knew Gregory had been no real threat.

He rested his forehead against yours. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll have Niklaus send someone to see to the mess.”

You hummed a sound of agreement, making it to the stairs before realizing Elijah wasn’t with you. With a frown you turned back to see him sipping from the teacup that had been left on the table. “Elijah?”

He looked up in surprise before gifting you with that beautiful grin of his. “It seemed a shame to let it go to waste.”


	32. Rainy Days - Elijah/Reader/Klaus

You woke buried in a nest of blankets and pillows. Just the way you liked it. The soft sound of rain bouncing off the window and the roof filtered through your still sleep-hazed mind. You lifted your head and smiled as you took in the scene beyond the window. This was your favorite kind of day.

“And why are you smiling so brightly, love?”

You turned to find your favorite hybrid leaning in the doorway of the bathroom. His pajama pants hung low on his hips and his chest was bare. You bit your lip as your gaze took him in. His grin widened until he flashed those dimples you loved so much.

“So that’s how it is, huh?” he teased as he prowled across the room and slid back into the bed with you. He pressed a kiss to your shoulder. “We had plans today, you know.”

Your brow creased as you scrunched your nose in thought. Suddenly, it came to you. “The picnic,” you said with a groan.

Klaus made a sound of agreement. “Elijah will be most displeased.”

You giggled and dropped your head back into the pillows. “I’m pretty sure I can cheer him up.”

“Are you?” The hybrid’s tone was teasing as his fingers danced along your spine.

His movements quickly became firmer and you groaned as he expertly worked sore muscles. “Has anyone told you that you are a god, Niklaus Mikaelson?” you said with a groan.

“I’m pretty sure you might have mentioned it once or twice last night.”

Your face heated with the reminder but you couldn’t deny that the night before had been particularly enjoyable.

“Don’t let your ego get too over inflated, brother,” came Elijah’s crisp tone. “She called me one as well as I remember.”

You had intended to reply with something sexy, or witty. Instead what came out of your mouth was a high-pitched scream as you were suddenly sprayed with cold water. You rolled onto your back to be greeted by your puppy—your very wet puppy—butting his head against your chest. When you didn’t respond immediately, he yipped at you.

You swept him off the bed and placed him on your chest so he wouldn’t get the sheets any wetter. The Original brothers were both laughing hysterically, making you roll your eyes. “Lovely. Would one of you be so kind as to fetch a towel?”

Elijah was gone and back in a flash, handing you one of the towels from the warmer. You made quick work of drying the pup off then wrapped him up in the towel. He immediately nestled against you and yawned.

While you were taking care of your dog, Elijah stripped down to his boxers and crawled in on the opposite side from Klaus. So, while you snuggled the pup, your two favorite men snuggled with you. The four of you spent a lazy day tangled together while you listened to the rain and whispered declarations of love.


	33. Invisible - Klaus Mikaelson

It was sometime around your third drink that Matt began to worry. You were no stranger to the Grill and often met your friends there for a drink or two. But you never drank alone. And never this much this quickly. It was clear to him, you were trying to forget something—or drown something—and you were well on your way to doing so.

Whiskey number five was when he sent a text to Rebekah. He was on the clock until closing and someone needed to come keep an eye on you. He’d never been so relieved to see Niklaus Mikaelson walk through the door. He gestured to the back corner where you’d holed up in a dark booth.

Klaus found you staring at the glass in your hands, a sad expression on your face that tore at his heart. He approached slowly, afraid to scare you off but he needn’t have worried. You didn’t even realize he was there until he stood next to you and cleared his throat. You glanced up at him briefly before turning your attention back to your glass.

“Mind if I have a seat, love?”

You shook your head and he sat across from you. Still you did not look up. He’d never seen you like this and he understood why the quarterback had contacted his sister. All of your usual spark was gone. It was as if someone had just…deflated you. He didn’t like it.

“What are you doing here, Y/N?” he finally asked. “It’s not safe for you to go out alone. You know that.”

You sniffed and took a sip of your drink. Well, you tried but the glass was empty. You signaled for another but Klaus motioned for Matt to bring you water instead. “I wanted to go out with Nik but he doesn’t like me anymore.”

Pain pierced right through his heart as he swallowed past the lump in his throat. His mind raced trying to recall whatever he might have done that would make you feel like you were less than everything. “Why would you think that?”

***

You huffed a laugh and a tear rolled down your cheek. “Because he likes Caroline.” God, it hurt to say that. It was what you had always feared happening though you knew the day would come just like it always did. “Caroline is my sister. Did you know that?”

A new glass was pushed into your hand and you sipped at the liquid, frowning when you weren’t met with the pleasant burn you’d been expecting. You shook your head. “Most people don’t believe me when I say she’s my sister. We don’t look anything alike after all. Mom and Dad adopted me then got pregnant a few months later.” You laughed again. “She was one upping me even before she was born.”

You shifted in your seat. “And it’s okay, you know. She’s gorgeous and chipper and outgoing. And I’m…well, I’m nobody, aren’t I?”

“Don’t say that,” the man across from you snapped and you took a moment to frown at him. Why was he so angry? What did it matter to him anyway? For a moment he looked familiar but your brain was too fuzzy to care.

Instead, you shifted your gaze back to the table in front of you. “It’s okay. Everyone likes her better. I’m used to it. But this hurts.” You rubbed at your chest as if that would take some of the ache away.

“What hurts, sweetheart?”

Tears ran down your face and you did your best to wipe them away as you sucked in a shaky breath. “Nik. She knows how I feel about him and she just didn’t care.” Images of Caroline’s lips on his flashed through your brain for the hundredth time that day. “And I thought he saw me but I was wrong. No one sees me. I’m invisible.”

The man cleared his throat. “You like Niklaus?”

“No, you idiot. Haven’t you been paying attention? I love him. I have for ages.”

“I see. And you think that he cares for your sister?”

God, this guy just didn’t get it. “I know he does. I saw them kiss. He never kissed me. Well, not like that anyway.”

And suddenly you just wanted to be alone. You got to your feet, holding on to the edge of the table until the room felt steady. “Could you tell Matt I’d like to go home now?” Your voice was little more than a whisper.

“I’ll see you home, love.” His voice was sad and you wondered if he’d had his heart broken too.

***

 When you woke, you kept your eyes closed as you assessed your current state. Headache? Check. Dry mouth? Check. Upset Stomach? Check. You were obviously hungover and you were still tired so why the hell were you awake? Your phone vibrated on the nightstand beside you and you groaned.

You kept your eyes shut as you felt around until your hand closed around your phone. Why did your nightstand seem higher than normal? “Hello,” you answered. When your voice sounded more like a croak than anything else, you cleared your throat. “Hello?”

“Y/N? It’s Caroline.”

“Peachy.” Just who you wanted to talk to this morning. You tried to recall if there was any alcohol in your apartment.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you sister sniped and you stayed silent. She wasn’t worth the effort of speech. Once she figured out you weren’t going to answer, she continued. “Listen, do you know where Klaus is? He’s not returning my calls.”

It was probably wrong of you to feel a little giddy about that, wasn’t it? You couldn’t find it in you to care. After all, it was wrong of your sister to kiss the man you were in love with but that hadn’t stopped her. You gave yourself a mental pat on the back even if you hadn’t said any of it out loud.

“Y/N, this is important.”

You groaned and turned over onto your back, covering your eyes with one hand. “To you.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s important to _you_ , Caroline. I don’t give a shit.”

There was a stretch of silence. You’d actually managed to strike her speechless. Well, there was a first time for everything. When she spoke again her words were clipped letting you know that you’d succeeded in pissing her off. Yay, you.

“Look, Y/N. I can’t help it if Klaus likes me. You should just shift your attention to someone else. It’s what I would do.”

“ _I’m_ not a whore, Caroline.” Did you just say that out loud? Oops.

You were almost certain you heard someone laugh, but when you tried to look the sunlight was far too bright and you quickly returned your hand to your eyes with a hiss.

“Did you just imply that I am a whore?” Your sister practically growled the words.

“I wasn’t implying shit. And Caroline?”

You waited for her to make a questioning sound so you knew she was listening. “Fuck you.”

You terminated the call and tossed the phone to the side. Almost immediately it started to vibrate and you ignored it. “Should have turned the fucker off,” you mumbled to yourself.

“Allow me,” an accented voice said from near your bed.

You let out a little scream and scrambled up, grabbing your head as pain spiked through it. Curtains had been pulled over the windows and the light was far more tolerable than it had been a few minutes before.

It only took you a moment to realize that you were not in your room at all. Even if the hybrid himself had not been sitting beside the bed, you would have known this was his room. It just felt like him.

Your heart pounded—only partly from being startled. “Why am I here?” your voice was quiet.

“It was brought to my attention last night that you and I are overdue for a conversation.” He pressed his lips into a flat line as he looked you over.

God, what idiotic thing had you done now? His scrutiny unnerved you and you shifted uneasily. “Listen, I appreciate you taking care of me or whatever but just forget whatever stupid thing I said or did.”

He shook his head and moved to sit beside you on the bed. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

You closed your eyes and sighed. Of course, he couldn’t. That would be too easy.

 “First, I think we need to discuss Caroline.”

Pain pierced your heart again. “No, we really don’t. I already know you’re together. I’m happy for you.” You had no idea how you managed to keep from choking on the words.

He huffed out a humorless laugh. “I never realized what a skilled liar you were, Y/N. I wonder what else you’ve lied about.”

You jerked your head up and frowned at him. You started to protest but he laid a finger against your lips.

“My turn, love.” He dropped his hand and used it to grasp yours. “Your sister came onto me yesterday. As I am sure you aware, she does not like to hear the word no.”

“I’m not certain she’s ever heard it before to be honest.” You hadn’t intended for your tone to be quite as snarky as it was.

“Well, she heard it yesterday. And then she kissed me, as if that would turn my affections in her direction when I’d already made it very clear where they lie.” His tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “You may believe that you are invisible, Y/N, that I don’t see you, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. I see nothing _but_ you.”

You tore your gaze from where it was locked on your intertwined hands to look at his face, searching for any sign that his words were not 100% true.

He chuckled a bit. “Don’t look so shocked, love. The only reason that I have not said anything before was that I feared you did not return my feelings. I was reluctant to risk our friendship on the off chance that you might.”

“Wait. Are you saying…” you trailed off, afraid to finish the thought in case you were wrong.

He shook his head. “What I’m saying is that your worth has nothing to do with your sister. The reason Caroline is vibrant and loud is because you overshadow her in every way. She is screaming for the attention that you get simply by being you.”

A tear ran down your cheek before you could stop it. You knew the hybrid well enough to know that he believed every word he was saying. He wasn’t simply trying to make you feel better.

He reached out and rubbed his thumb along the curve of your cheek. “You are brilliant and stunning and brave. You are kind, compassionate and selfless. In other words, you are everything your sister is not. Why would I want her when you’re around?”

“Nik, I—” your voice cracked and you cleared your throat.

He grasped your chin in his hand and leaned forward to close the distance between you. Your lids fluttered closed in anticipation of the kiss but he stopped a breath away. Close enough that his lips brushed yours when he spoke. “Be mine, Y/N. Be mine and I promise you will never doubt your worth again.”

“Nik.” His name was little more than a whisper as your chest grew tight with anticipation. “Shut up and kiss me.”


	34. Answer the Phone - Damon Salvatore Drabble

It was a beautiful spring day. One of those perfect days in early spring when winter has lasted too long and the sun comes out and the temperature warms up. You grabbed a blanket and a book and hurried outside to lay in the sun, content to just enjoy the day. 

You’d lost track of how long you’d been outside when a shadow fell across your page. You glanced up, squinting in the bright light. Damon Salvatore smirked down at you. “Hello, Y/N.”

You marked your page and sat up so you could talk to him without being in a weird position. “What’s up, Damon?”

He dropped down next to you on the blanket as he shrugged. “Couldn’t get you on the phone. Just making sure you were okay.”

Your face heated as you looked away from him. Of course, he’d be worried. You always answered when he called. Always. You couldn’t help it. It was Damon. “I was enjoying the day. I don’t always have to be at your beck and call, you know.”

He narrowed his eyes at your teasing tone and leaned toward you. He hummed then said, “Maybe I enjoy you being at my beck and call.”

“I don’t see how that is my problem, Salvatore.”

“Don’t you?” He closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to yours. 

You froze in shock for just a moment before returning the kiss. One hand laid against the side of your face as the two of you got lost in one another. 

Then, just as quickly as it had began, it was over. Damon jumped to his feet and flashed you a grin. “You. Me. Dinner. I’ll pick you up at seven, Y/L/N.”

You blinked after him as he strode away from you. Just before he disappeared into the trees that lined your property, he turned back to you. “Oh, and answer your damned phone.”


	35. My Shoes - Elijah Mikaelson Drabble

“I hate you.”

Elijah hummed in agreement but didn’t look up from his book. “I see. And what have I done to earn your ire this time, my dear?”

You groaned and flopped down on the couch, turning so your head ended up in your boyfriend’s lap. That was enough to get at least part of his attention and he moved the book aside so he could see your face. He arched a brow and his lips twitched in amusement as he noted your pout. He sat the book on the table beside him and gave you his full attention. 

One hand intertwined with yours and the other pushed your hair back from your face. “Okay, Y/N. I’m listening. What is the problem?”

You lifted one foot. “Look. Just look at it.”

“And to what am I to be paying attention?”

“My boots, Elijah. Look at my boots. They’re ruined.”

“And?”

That had you sitting up and turning to him in annoyance. “They’re my new ones. And they were ruined fighting those witches yesterday because _your_ brother doesn’t know how to play well with others.”

“Honestly, Y/N, if your kills were cleaner this wouldn’t be an issue. Do you know how much money I spend replacing your clothing? It’s absurd really.”

You blinked several times as you processed the words that had just come out of your boyfriend’s mouth. Surely…and there was that smirk. “You are such a brat.”

He chuckled as he stood and held out a hand. You let him help you to your feet. As soon as you were standing, he pulled you to him and wrapped an arm around you before kissing your temple. “Come. We’ll go out and eat at that little restaurant you love so much and see if we can replace your treasured footwear.”

 

 


	36. Stay Safe - Kol Mikaelson Drabble

“What the bloody hell did you think you were doing, Y/N!?”

You cringed away from your boyfriend slightly. You knew Kol would never hurt you but you hated when he yelled at you. Even if you maybe did deserve it just a little bit.

“I was helping, Kol.”

He scowled at you, his brows drawing together. “Helping? Is that what you call it?”

You didn’t say anything else. You knew he was only upset because you’d nearly gotten your head taken off by a wolf. After he’d implicitly told you to stay home and not to follow them under any circumstances. 

He rubbed both hands down his face then came to sit beside you. He took both of your hands in his and ran his thumbs over your skin. “I told you once that I’d stick with you. That I’d nurse you through all your ailments and injuries and I meant that, darling. But I can’t nurse you back to health from a decapitation. Even my blood won’t fix that.”

You leaned against his side and he wrapped an arm around you to hold you close as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t mean to get so angry, but I’d be lost without you. So next time, just stay home where I know you’re safe, okay?”

You nodded and let him hold you to chase away the images of angry werewolves in your head.


	37. You are the Reason - Klaus Mikaelson

There weren’t many things in the world that Niklaus Mikaelson truly cherished. His siblings perhaps. The rare moments of peace that found their way into his life. And then there was you. To say that he’d been taken with you the first time he saw you was an understatement. You were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Even to this day, he had never encountered your equal. You took his breath away and he’d spent the last five hundred years trying to reclaim it.

He leaned against the side of a building and watched as you wove through the booths at your local farmers’ market. You’d purchased some honey and a bouquet of flowers, but seemed to be simply enjoying the warm spring morning. He shouldn’t be here. He knew it hadn’t been nearly long enough since his last visit but he couldn’t help it. Just the sight of you soothed some of the chaos in his mind.

The two of you had wasted no time getting married all those years ago and spent every moment of the following six decades together. And then Mikael tracked him down. Unable to stand the thought of you being in danger, Klaus set you up in a home and compelled away any memory of him. When he could no longer stand being separated from you, he returned to your side. You had been furious with him when he removed the compulsion, so angry with the time lost. But your safety was more important. So, the cycle repeated itself over and over again for centuries.

And now, Mikael was gone, but there was always another threat, another enemy that would use you against him. As you walked away from the stalls to head to your small home, he stepped out from the shadow of the building. You nearly ran into him and glanced up with that sweet soft smile. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s all right, love.” His voice nearly broke and he cleared his throat. “Remember me.”

***

It was late the next afternoon when Elijah found Klaus sitting in his study with a half-empty bottle of bourbon. Elijah sat in a chair across from his younger brother and pursed his lips. “You’ve foregone the glass I see. Is it safe to assume that you’ve been to see Y/N?”

“You always were the smart one, brother. If that’s all I’d like to go back to drowning myself in expensive bourbon.”

Elijah sighed. “Why do you continue to do this to yourself, Niklaus? Y/N is more than capable of taking care of herself. Besides, if you brought her home with all of us, she’d hardly have to, would she? Why force the both of you to suffer when it is unnecessary?”

Klaus took another long swallow from the bottle. “She’s hardly suffering when she doesn’t remember I exist. And I will bear what I must to keep her safe.”

Before Elijah could respond, a knock sounded at the front door. He stood and straightened his suitcoat. “I need to get that. Everyone else is gone. Rest assured we will be continuing this conversation.”

Klaus huffed. “I so look forward to it.”

Elijah hurried to the door, his lips twisted in irritation. It seemed his brother and he just continued to rehash the same conversation. There was a point when he understood keeping you hidden, but those days had long passed. Mikael was dead and you were over five hundred years old. You would be a formidable opponent on your own and near unbeatable with the Originals backing you up. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was another reason why Niklaus insisted on keeping you away.

Elijah opened the door with a tight smile, ready to greet their visitor. Words escaped him completely when he found none other than you on the porch.

“Hello, Elijah,” you said.

When he just continued to gape, you continued. “This place just kind of announces that you’re up to no good, does it not? Surely you could have found something a little less cliché.” You stepped past him and into the house. “Where is my husband?”

“Y/N, how are you here?” he finally managed to ask. He shut the door as he studied you with dark eyes.

“I outsmarted him this time. I’ve spent more time alone in this marriage than I’ve spent with him and I’m tired of it. Now, where is he?”

He gestured with his hand and placed the other on your back to steer you through the house to Niklaus’s study. “You have a visitor, brother,” Elijah announced as you arrived.

Klaus didn’t turn, didn’t even acknowledge your presence.

“Niklaus?” Elijah prompted.

“Not now, Elijah. Can’t you see I’m busy?” He turned to look at his brother as he said the last and his voice faded away. The bottle was placed on the table as he rose to his feet. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he took you in. “How did you find me?”

You were vaguely aware of Elijah leaving the room and shutting the door as you crossed your arms over your chest. “I put a tracker in your pocket, Nik. It wasn’t that difficult.”

He closed the distance between you in several long strides. “You shouldn’t even know I exist. What are you doing here?”

“I left myself a note the last time you visited. It was a reminder to drink vervain every day. Compulsion won’t work on me.”

He raked his hands through his hair. “You can’t do this, Y/N. What I do…I do what I do to keep you safe. They’ll use you against me.”

You sighed and lowered your arms. “Who will, Nik? Who is out to get you this time?”

“I’m not paranoid, sweetheart. People really do try to be rid of me on a fairly regular basis, you know.”

He started to pace the floor and you simply followed his movements with your eyes. “You have thought the universe against you since the moment we met. And hell, maybe they are after you, but they’ll just have to come after me, too. I’m not leaving this time, Nik. You can’t make me forget about you and I’m not leaving. My place is here with you.”

“And if I say no?” He kept his back turned toward you and you could see the muscles in his back tense up.

“It’s not your choice this time.”

He looked at you over his shoulder. “And if I insist?”

You fought back the tears that threatened to flood your eyes. “Then I’m gone for good.”

In a flash he was back in front of you, mere inches between you. “You can’t be serious.”

“Are you willing to risk it? I’m tired of being alone, Nik. I may not have remembered you, but I sure as hell felt your absence. Please don’t make me be alone anymore.” Your voice broke toward the end. Hopefully, he saw things your way because you didn’t think you had the strength to actually follow through on your threat. You’d spent too long loving him to give up on him now.

Nik pulled you to him and wrapped his arms tightly around you as he pressed a kiss to the side of your head. “All right, love. No more games. No more separation. To be honest, it was getting harder to leave you every time.”

“Your visits were becoming more frequent. I think that’s why I left myself the note. It was time.” You rested your head against his chest and let him hold you. For five hundred years you moved from city to city, house to house and for the first time in a long time, you were home. And home was where you intended to stay.


	38. Sweet as Pie - Elijah Mikaelson

Just one normal day, that was all you wanted. Not even a whole day. You just wanted one meal. One dinner with the people you considered family. No interruptions, no drama, no distractions.

You texted or emailed the invitations and one by one the responses came in. For once, everyone could get together on the same day. You spent weeks planning the menu and two days preparing what you could ahead.

It was five hours before dinner was to be served when you received the first call. Kol and Davina had something else come up. “Another time though, darling,” the Mikaelson had said and hung up before you could even respond.

You were a little disappointed but two less people would hardly put a dent in your numbers. You took their place settings from the table and put everything away. But as the afternoon went on, the guestlist whittled away and the table grew emptier. Eventually, you took the extension out and made the table smaller.

When Damon texted to tell you that he and Elena had taken an unexpected trip out of town, that left only three plates on the table. You wiped a tear away that threatened to spill over and sighed. Damn it. You should have known better.

Truth be told, you’d been prepared for something to come up, but you’d been thinking trouble of the supernatural variety. This just seemed like everyone decided they had other things they’d rather be doing then spending time with you. Maybe you should have told them it was your birthday. As soon as you had the thought you brushed it aside. There was a reason you hadn’t mentioned it. While you wanted to spend the evening with your friends, you didn’t want them to make a big deal out of it.

Your phone rang. You bit your lip as you frowned at it. At this point you were afraid to answer. A glance at the screen told you that Elijah was calling and you sighed. The one person you wanted to spend the day with more than anyone else and even he was calling to cancel. You swiped the tears away from your eyes and answered. “Hello, Elijah.”

“Ah, Y/N. I am terribly sorry to give such late notice—”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off, not really wanting to hear what he found a more appealing option than you. “Things happen. I appreciate you calling to let me know that you can’t make it.” You needed to get off the phone so you could curl up on your bed and have a proper cry.

“On the contrary. Niklaus and I both plan to be in attendance. However, we may be running a bit late. There is a rather delicate matter we must see to first.”

Relief flooded through you. “That’s fine, Elijah. I’ll keep your food warm.”

“Thank you, Y/N. We’ll see you soon.”

When the call disconnected you gave into your childish desire to celebrate by bouncing and giving a little squeal of happiness. Elijah and Klaus were still coming. Perhaps, the evening could be salvaged after all.

***

Dinner had been scheduled for six. Since everyone else had cancelled, you planned for it to be done at seven, figuring the Mikaelsons would arrive soon after. Or not.

Your gaze shot up to the grandfather clock that stood in the corner of the room for what was undoubtedly the hundredth time in the last hour. You rested your chin in one hand and used the other to twirl your wine glass. Nine o’clock.

You huffed a laugh at your stupidity. Why had you even thought this might work? You weren’t the planner, you were the tagalong. Maybe no one had wanted to come in the first place and just didn’t know how to say no. You downed the last of the wine in your glass and pushed yourself to your feet.

You kicked off the heels you’d bought to go with your new dress. Well, you thought you’d looked pretty, even if no one was around to see it. As you walked into the kitchen, you removed the pins from your hair and fluffed it a bit with your fingers. The food was easy enough to put away. It was well cooled so you simply covered everything and made space in the fridge. As you did so the pie on the top shelf caught your eye.

Two chocolate cream pies with whipped cream. Your favorite. You stared at them for a moment before grabbing one and pulling it out. Taking the cover off you tossed it aside and got yourself a spoon from the drawer. If no one was going to join you for dinner, you didn’t have to share your pie. You leaned against the counter and dug your spoon right into the center of the pan. After making certain your bite contained a bit of everything, you placed it in your mouth. Your eyes closed as the rich flavor coated your tongue. That was some damn good pie even if you did say so yourself.

Somewhere around your third bite you were interrupted by a knock on the door. You took your time strolling to the door, pie still in hand as you opened it. Elijah stood on your porch with one hand in his pocket and the other wrapped around a bottle of wine. One side of his mouth kicked up in a grin as he took you in from your now disheveled hair to your bare feet. “Hello, Y/N.” His voice had a teasing lilt to it and there was a mischievous spark in his eye.

“Hello, Elijah,” you greeted before turning and walking away.

After a moment, you heard him step into the house and close the door. “I realize that I am unforgivably late, but I had rather hoped at least a few of your other guests would still be in attendance.”

You laughed around the spoon in your mouth as you dug in your silverware drawer for another one. Turning, you found Elijah leaning in your doorway, wine still in hand. You gestured for him to move and took a seat at the dining table before passing him the spoon you’d gotten for him. You sat the pie between the two of you. “Dig in, Elijah.”

He looked between the rather ravaged pie and you with his lips twitching.

“Would you like me to get the other one out so you don’t have to worry about my germs?”

“I am a vampire. I have nothing to fear from germs.”

That was a good point. You nodded and pointed at the pie with your silverware. “Eat then. If you want dinner, it’s in the fridge.”

He took a bite of the dessert and hummed in appreciation. “That is very good. Did you make it?”

“Of course.”

You were both silent as you ate a bit more.

“The wine is from Niklaus. He regrets not coming tonight, but he was rather messy when we were handling our problem. It will take him a bit to get set to rights. He asked that I inform you he will call on you tomorrow to take you for a birthday drink.”

Your head jerked up at that. “Birthday?”

Elijah’s brow furrowed. “It is your birthday today, is it not?”

You cleared your throat. “Yeah, I just can’t believe you remembered. Or he did. Whatever.”

The scowl didn’t leave his face. “I assumed that was the reason you chose tonight for your dinner.”

You shook your head and took another bite of your pie. “You never cease to surprise me, Elijah Mikaelson.”

He tossed his spoon on the table and leaned back in the chair. Crossing his arms over his chest he tilted his head and studied you with a narrowed gaze. “It is not often that I feel at a loss, but when I do it always seems to be when I am with you, Y/N. There is something I am missing about tonight.”

“Actually, you didn’t miss anything, including the dinner party. You are the only guest. So, this _is_ the party.” You made a circle with your spoon to indicate the two of you as well as the table.

He lowered his arms and straightened in the chair. “You can’t be serious.”

You shrugged. “It’s fine, Elijah. I had a very nice bottle of wine. I am eating a lovely chocolate pie and I have the pleasure of your company. It could be much worse, all things considered.”

“It could also be a hell of a lot better. I cannot believe everyone cancelled on your birthday. And then I was abysmally late. I am so sorry, Y/N.”

“To be fair, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one that actually remembered it was my birthday.”

“Surprisingly, my brother actually did remember on his own. You are permanently in his calendar it seems.”

That warmed your heart a little. At least someone cared. “Do you suppose that wine goes with pie?”

Elijah arched a brow. “Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. Everything goes with pie.”

You grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, Mikaelson.” You placed the two unused wineglasses on the table in front of him while he opened the bottle. He poured you both a generous portion.

“I would hope my questionable taste in wine pairings is not the only reason you like me.”

You sipped the wine and hummed in appreciation. It was rich and sweet, just the way you liked it. Your gaze shifted from the glass in your hand to the Original sitting in front of you. “Are you fishing for compliments, Elijah?”

He gave a half-smile at that. “I guess that is what it sounds like, isn’t it?” His gaze became unfocused and you stayed silent as you watched him. He was contemplating something and it was best to leave him to it. Finally, he produced a box from his pocket and sat it on the table. He pushed it toward you with one finger. “Perhaps it will be easier to just give you your birthday present.”

You reached for the box with a trembling hand, excited and terrified to see what he’d gotten you. The top of the box snapped open and you sucked in a breath as the light reflected off the stone within.

A necklace with a heart shaped pendant cut from a brilliant red ruby rested atop black velvet. Encasing the stone were three bands of diamonds. If it had come from anyone else you would have assumed the gems were fake. You reached out to touch the beautiful piece of jewelry but quickly snatched your hand back before you smudged the shine. “Elijah. It’s beautiful, but I couldn’t possibly accept it.”

“See that’s unfortunate, Y/N,” he said as he stood. He lifted the necklace from the box and moved behind you. He continued to speak as he fastened the chain around your neck. “Because this heart belongs to you whether you want it or not. Much like my own, I’m afraid.”

What? He couldn’t possibly have just said what you thought he had. You tried to turn to face him, but he held you in place with his hands on your shoulders. “They’re yours, sweet Y/N.” He leaned down as he spoke, his breath tickling along your neck. “The bands signify our past, present and future.”

He released you then, allowing you to turn. You looked up at him with tears in your eyes and he dropped to his knees in front of you. Both of his hands clasped one of yours. “I have lived a thousand years. I have seen nations rise and fall as their heroes faded into obscurity. I have known love and hate and desperation.” His tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “I could fill libraries with the tales of my past. And a hundred more with my hopes for the future. But it wasn’t until I met you that I realized my purpose in this life.”

Your chest was tight and your heart raced. You’d dreamed of him telling you that he loved you, but none of it could possibly compare to this moment.

He kissed the back of your hand. “Y/N, my heart has belonged to you since the day we met. Please say you’ll at least give me a chance to earn yours in return.”

His dark eyes studied you and you couldn’t help but laugh. Your free hand covered your mouth, not that it did any good. He could clearly see your grin behind the hand. You gave a little shrug. “It’s always been yours, Elijah. Even before I knew you, it was yours.”

His gaze searched you again. When he saw the truth in your words, a breathtaking smile covered his face. He surged forward and his hands cradled your face as he pressed his lips to yours. His tongue traced your bottom lip and you gasped, granting him the entrance he wanted. As his tongue swept inside, your chest heaved and your heart raced.

He pulled back and pressed his forehead to yours. “Sweet as pie,” he teased and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.  

“I love you, Elijah Mikaelson.” Your voice was little more than a whisper.

“And I love you, Y/N Y/L/N.”

Best. Birthday. Ever.


	39. The Bet - Elijah Mikaelson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a request from wattpad. Gif linked at beginning of fic.

<http://gph.is/2cMJZdR>

“Please, Y/N?” Rebekah practically begged as she bounced on her feet in your kitchen. She’d shown up early and you’d let her in before shuffling over to the coffee maker. The pot had just finished brewing and you poured yourself a generous portion. Once you were leaned against the counter with your mug in hand, the blonde had immediately started in.

She wanted you to go shopping with her. The Mikaelsons were having a party and, while she didn’t need a new dress, she insisted you did. You sighed and sat the mug on the counter behind you.

“There are two problems with this, Bekah. One, I had no intention of going to the party and two, I hate shopping.”

The vampire looked almost disgusted at your admission. You’d try to explain it to her, but she’d never understand. You were on the heavier side and shopping was such a chore. It wasn’t that you were embarrassed about your weight, but you were practical. They just didn’t make pretty things for girls like you. Designers seemed to think that anyone over a size 10 wanted to wear potato sacks with weird patterns on them. Rebekah didn’t have to worry with any of that. She was stunning. Her biggest problem was trying to decide between too many choices while you might spend hours and not find a single thing that you liked.

“You always go shopping with me. Why didn’t you tell me you hated it?” The blonde was almost pouting.

“I don’t mind shopping for you. Shopping for you is easy. Shopping for me is a pain.”

“What? Why?”

You literally face palmed before smiling at her. “Bekah. Honey. I’m just a bit bigger than you. It’s harder to find stuff for me. Especially dresses.”

“Ridiculous,” she snapped immediately and rolled her eyes. “And as for the other…” She pulled out her phone and sent a message to someone.

You just sipped at your coffee and watched her over your mug. Finally, she smirked in what could only be described as triumph. She kept her eyes glued to her phone as she walked to your front door.

“You should have just gone shopping with me, Y/N.” And with that, she was gone.

You blinked several times before shaking your head and setting your mug in the sink. “Strange girl,” you murmured to yourself just as another knock sounded at your door.

“Seriously, Bekah?” you grumbled though you wore a smile on your face. You opened the door only to gasp when you were greeted not with your best friend but her older, hot as sin brother. Holy Shit. “Elijah. I wasn’t expecting you.” Hopefully he would attribute your suddenly racing heart to surprise.

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile and his eyes ran over you from head to toe. “Hello, Y/N. Lovely to see you, as always.”

Suddenly realizing you were standing in front of him in nothing but a long sleep shirt and socks you gave a little scream and slammed the door. You could hear him chuckle through the door. “Just a minute.” You threw open the closet next to you and yanked out your long raincoat and wrapped it around you before tying it off.

A glance in the mirror had you gasping in horror. Your hair was a mess and mascara smudged your eyes. Could you possibly look any worse? A swipe of your fingers took care of the worst of the makeup and your feeble attempt at least made your hair look passable. After taking a deep breath, you opened the door again. “Sorry. I thought you were Bekah.” Heat flooded your face. Why did you always make a fool of yourself in front of this man? Why not Klaus?

“If that’s how you greet my sister, perhaps I should accompany her to your home more often.” The teasing lilt to his voice had a tremor moving through you. Was Elijah Mikaelson flirting? With you? Not possible.

You cleared your throat and stepped back from the door. “Would you like to come in?”

He nodded and came inside. You shut the door behind him and followed him into the kitchen. You always hung out in your kitchen. It was your favorite room in the house. When he simply studied you with pursed lips, you decided to speak up. “Is there something I can do for you, Elijah?”

He licked his lips. “Rebekah tells me you are not coming to the party this evening. May I ask why not?”

You shrugged. “You guys don’t need me there. You’ll have a house full. I’ll just be hanging around on the fringes anyway and one of you will feel the need to entertain me. It’s better if I just stay home. Netflix is calling my name, anyway.”

Elijah didn’t appear impressed with your answer. “You seem to be under the impression that you are an afterthought on the guest list. On the contrary, yours was the first name added that was not myself or one of my siblings. Many could fail to attend and not be missed. You, however, are not one of them.”

Any argument you could make against that would only sound petty. You sighed. “Fine, let’s say I buy that. I still don’t have anything to wear.”

“I’m personally fond of the shirt you’re wearing under that ridiculous coat.”

“Elijah Mikaelson,” you scolded.

He laughed again. He seemed to do that a lot more lately than he used to. It was probably because his mother was dead. She was a bitch. “Then we shall buy something for you to wear, Y/N.”

The ‘we’ didn’t escape your notice. You huffed a laugh. “Elijah, I find it impossible to believe that even you with your vast resources will find something that I am happy with in the time we have.”

He narrowed his eyes and leaned toward you, that smirk stretching his lips once more. “Are you challenging me?”

You found yourself returning the smile. “So, what if I am? You’ll lose.”

 “Will I? Interesting. A wager then?”

“What sort of wager?” You’d been friends with the Mikaelsons for too long not to suspect he was up to something. You were being cautious.

“If you are correct and our shopping excursion is fruitless, I will pay for your Netflix subscription for the next year. In addition, I will personally make sure your snack cabinet is filled weekly.”

You bit your lip and his eyes flashed. It was tempting, but not enough. You shook your head. “All that, plus one movie night a week. I pick the film. You are of course excused for supernatural drama.”

“Fine.”

He agreed entirely too quickly. You should have asked for more, but honestly you couldn’t think of anything better than cuddling with Elijah and watching movies even if it was purely platonic on his part. “And what do you want if you win?”

“When I win, you will of course come to the party tonight, but you will come as my date.”

Your brows snapped together as you frowned. That didn’t make any sense.

Elijah grinned and stepped closer to you. You swallowed. “And you will stay by my side all evening. You will not hide in the corner or in Niklaus’s study or my library. You will be sociable.”

Oh, god. You rolled your eyes. “Fine.”

He held up a finger. “That’s not all, dear Y/N. I, too, desire a weekly movie night. I will pick the film and you will come to my home to watch it.”

“What’s the catch?”

He shrugged. “No catch.” He ran one finger along the edge of the counter. “Have I mentioned my affinity for horror movies?”

“Damn it, ‘lijah.” You didn’t hate horror movies, but they made you jumpy. Watching them in a house full of vampires that loved to tease you was unlikely to help. Finally, you grumbled. “Fine.”

Elijah grinned in triumph.

“It’s not like you’re going to win anyway.”

***

There was one store that you loved. In fact, the vast majority of the clothes you owned were from there, but they weren’t dresses. They weren’t expensive by any stretch but they were a little pricier than you liked so you tended to hit their clearance when you could. But you weren’t paying today, Elijah was. You knew there was no point arguing with him. He’d just compel the clerk not to take your money.

You’d found a couple of skirts to try, but it was Elijah that found the dress. When he showed it to you, you gasped just a little. It was beautiful, but not something you’d ever considered wearing before. It looked like something straight out of the forties or fifties, from the cut to the pattern. Normally you wouldn’t even try it on, but you shrugged and took it from him. Why not try it?

You saved it for last, knowing it wouldn’t fit right. You wanted to postpone the disappointment. But it slid on smoothly and fell gracefully. After smoothing down the fabric you finally looked at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes wide, you spun and took in your appearance.

He won. Holy shit. He actually won.

***

Elijah tapped the glass in his hand and glanced up the stairs for the hundredth time. What could possibly be taking you and his sister so long? You hadn’t let him see you in the dress, but you assured him that he’d won. Surprisingly, you hadn’t argued with him at all about him not only buying the dress but getting your shoes and accessories as well. He was a bit disgruntled that you hadn’t let him see any of it.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were nervous, brother,” Niklaus said as he stepped up beside him.

“Thank you, Niklaus. Most helpful as always.” Elijah straightened the cuffs of his suit.

The hybrid hummed. “You do know that you could just tell her you love her? I am quite certain she feels the same.”

Elijah sighed. “Are you finished?”

His brother chuckled and held up his hands. “All right, I’ll go, brother.”

Elijah watched him walk off before shooting another glance up the stairs. Still nothing.

“Hello, Elijah,” Kol said from behind him.

“Is there something I can do for you?”

He shook his head. “No. Rebekah just assured me that you’ll be speechless when you see her. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Elijah closed his eyes and counted silently in his head. His irritation came from nerves, so he was attempting not to snap at Kol.

A hand rested on his shoulder and Elijah looked to find his youngest brother grinning like a fool while he looked up the stairs. “Klaus is right. You should tell her you love her before someone beats you to it.”

Elijah turned then, his eyes going wide as he caught sight of you. You were perfection. The dress he’d picked for you caressed your curves just as he hoped they would. You’d paired it with wide heels and your hair had been done in a style to match the dress. A flower the same color as your shoes was pinned in your hair. He couldn’t stop staring at you.

Kol nudged him. “You have a little drool—”

“Fuck off, Kol.” Elijah moved up the stairs to meet you.

***

You looked up then from where you’d been watching your footing to make sure you didn’t trip. The look of awe on Elijah’s face made you smile. That was all you’d wanted. To know that for just one moment you’d stunned him. What an amazing feeling.

He took your hand in his and turned it to place a gentle kiss on your wrist. When he met your gaze again, he offered you a soft smile. “You look stunning.”

“I don’t know that I’d go that far, but thank you, Elijah.” You shifted your hips just a bit so the dress flared out at the hem. This dress was awesome.

“There’s something I think I need to explain to you, Y/N.”

You tilted your head and waited for him to continue. He linked his fingers with yours and led you down the rest of the steps and into Klaus’s study. Releasing you, he shut the door and began to pace the floor. Finally, he stopped and looked at you. “I don’t care if you hide.”

“Huh?”

“The bet. The only part I cared about was you being here as my date. I wanted you to stay beside me simply so I wouldn’t be without your company. It was a win-win situation anyway. If I lost, I was guaranteed one night a week with you in my arms.”

“That’s why you added that to your terms? The movie night here?”

He nodded once.

You took a breath for courage. “Just tell me plainly what you want to say, Elijah. If you don’t, I’ll just think I imagined whatever I infer from this conversation.”

He closed the distance between you and placed his hands on your upper arms. “Very well. I love you. I have for quite some time now. If you tell me I have a chance with you, this will be the happiest day I’ve had in a thousand years.”

You closed your eyes and chuckled. “I’ve been head over heels from the first time I met you, ‘Lijah. I don’t wear that raincoat for just anyone, you know?”

“I would hope not.” He moved closer as he spoke and searched your gaze. Whatever he found there must have been satisfactory because you were suddenly being kissed. And it was fantastic.

The two of you explored each other’s mouths for a bit before Elijah leaned back. “We could skip the party and hide in my room. Just you, me and Netflix.”

You took his hand and tugged him toward the door as you grinned at him. “And waste this dress? I think not.”


End file.
